Intimacy Before Intercession
"Are you known at the throne?" There is an interesting event in the
19th chapter of the book of Acts. Paul is preaching in Ephesus, and God
is doing great wonders among the spiritist people. Two Jews take it on
themselves to cast out demons like Paul, using the name of Jesus as
their magic words. It didn’t work. Jesus name is not a magic word, it
represents a relationship. Without the relationship, there is no power
in using his name. So the demons jumped all over these clever fellows,
but before doing so they left us with a clear spiritual insight. They
said, "Jesus we know, and Paul we know, but who are you?"
You see Jesus was known in heavenly places because of who he is. Even
the demons knew him in his ministry as Son of David, who came to destroy
them. He, Jesus, was mighty in prayer. Paul was a follower of Jesus,
but he also developed intimacy with God in his closet of prayer, so that
he was a familiar face before the throne of God, and evidently a
terrifying spectacle to demons as well. Paul was known around the
throne! Paul was known in spiritual realms as a friend of God, and
therefore a force to be reckoned with. God fought for him. Are you
known at the throne?
Jesus calls us to develop an intimate relationship with him and the
Father by becoming frequent visitors before the throne. This is why Paul
could say in Hebrews 4:12, "Therefore, (since we are intimate with the
Son of God) let us come boldly to the throne of grace to find mercy and
grace to help in the time of need." The secret was not some pretended,
forced, or ad-libed boldness of "name-it and claim-it" before the
throne, but a natural result of intimacy with God developed over long
hours, days, months, and years of being a regular worshipper around the
throne.
The lesson is clear. We are not magicians before the throne, magically
calling things into existence by using the mighty name of Jesus, but we
are "friends of God" known at the throne, and therefore feared by
demons. William Cowper said it rightly in his work, Exhortation to
Prayer, "Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees."
Early in my ministry one of my favorite books on prayer was by the
notable Baptist preacher, John R. Rice. One of his memorable chapters
was titled, "Prayer Is Asking." One can easily be drawn into that kind
of understanding of prayer but it is not quite true. Part of prayer is
asking, but "before the asking comes the basking." We need to learn to
bask in the presence of God, to revel in God himself, to soak ourselves
in the presence of the Almighty, to hide beneath his wing, to take
refuge in his everlasting arms. God seeks such to worship him who would
worship (pray) in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) Daniel reminds us
that prayer is a relationship, "but the people that do know their God
shall be strong, and do exploits." (Daniel 11:32 KJV)
Worship comes before wishing, wanting, or wallowing. We are not beggars
before the throne. We are sons. Sons who only know their Father as Santa
Claus are not sons. True sons revel in the relationship of their loving
Father. The "stuff" they get as an overflow from the relationship, not a
manipulation of it. Prayer is not asking. Prayer is living in the
presence of God. Prayer is loving God and letting ourselves be loved by
Him. We must learn that prayer is a love relationship. If it is anything
else it is no different than the prayers of all other religions – it
becomes merely an attempt to manipulate God for our own benefit. Only
when we see prayer as a relationship can we understand the exhortation,
"Pray without ceasing." (I Thessalonians 5:17)
As I entered the school of prayer with Jesus as my instructor his first
words, and only words for a year or more were, "Be still and know that I
am God." (Psalm 46:10)
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