Interceding for God’s People
I was currently reading, The Second Thing About God Should Be the First Thing about Us by Eleeo Zamzummin. In chapter 2 there was a passage that caught my attention and I kept reading it over and over. Then I realized that this passage can be put into an equation. God’s love + truth + righteousness = humility + worship +peace +joy. And a week later I realized this equation makes for a good prayer. This is the prayer that came to me:
Our heavenly Father, thank you for your love, truth and righteousness. Help us to always display humility. May we worship you and you alone, live in peace and rejoice always! In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
I would like to talk about Jeremiah. Let me start off by reading Jeremiah’s bleak proclamation in Jeremiah 6:22-23.
Jeremiah’s bleak proclamation:
Jeremiah 6:22-23 New International Version (NIV)
22 This is what the Lord says:
“Look, an army is coming
from the land of the north;
a great nation is being stirred up
from the ends of the earth.
23 They are armed with bow and spear;
they are cruel and show no mercy.
They sound like the roaring sea
as they ride on their horses;
they come like men in battle formation
to attack you, Daughter Zion.”
Jeremiah was so consumed by the Word of God that his message came out without any sugar-coating. And because of this people wanted to kill him. Jeremiah 11:18-23 and 18:18-23.
Jeremiah 11:18-23 New International Version (NIV)
Plot Against Jeremiah
18 Because the Lord revealed their plot to me, I knew it, for at that time he showed me what they were doing. 19 I had been like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter; I did not realize that they had plotted against me, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree and its fruit;
let us cut him off from the land of the living,
that his name be remembered no more.”
20 But you, Lord Almighty, who judge righteously
and test the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
21 Therefore this is what the Lord says about the people of Anathoth who are threatening to kill you, saying, “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands”— 22 therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will punish them. Their young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters by famine. 23 Not even a remnant will be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth in the year of their punishment.” Chapter 18:18-23 reads,
Jeremiah 18:18-23 New International Version (NIV)
18 They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.”
19 Listen to me, Lord;
hear what my accusers are saying!
20 Should good be repaid with evil?
Yet they have dug a pit for me.
Remember that I stood before you
and spoke in their behalf
to turn your wrath away from them.
21 So give their children over to famine;
hand them over to the power of the sword.
Let their wives be made childless and widows;
let their men be put to death,
their young men slain by the sword in battle.
22 Let a cry be heard from their houses
when you suddenly bring invaders against them,
for they have dug a pit to capture me
and have hidden snares for my feet.
23 But you, Lord, know
all their plots to kill me.
Do not forgive their crimes
or blot out their sins from your sight.
Let them be overthrown before you;
deal with them in the time of your anger.
Throughout the book of Jeremiah, we see people living idolatrous lives. God chose Jeremiah to intercede for His people. Isn’t it remarkable how God chooses or appoints someone or does something to counter the evil of this world? I am reminded of God’s ultimate intercessor, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We are told in scripture that even now Jesus is interceding on our behalf. Romans 8:34 reads, “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
God’s Word is a two-edged sword meaning “His Word will pierce, divide, reprove, correct wrongdoing and instruct in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16, NLT: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.)” At the same time “God’s Word will also comfort, encourage, deliver, build, plant, heal and restore.
Do you find yourself discouraged? We can be as courageous as Jeremiah because in “Jeremiah 20:11 New International Version (NIV) we read:
11 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior;
so, my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;
their dishonor will never be forgotten. And in
Jeremiah 12:15 New International Version (NIV) we read:
15 But after I uproot them, I will again have COMPASSION and will bring each of them back to their own inheritance and their own country. Amidst this Covid19 Pandemic have you lost much? Rest assured that God will again have COMPASSION and tender mercy on you and His people.
Things got so bad that God told Jeremiah in Jeremiah 14:11 New International Version (NIV)
11 …,Do not pray for the well-being of this people.
I can’t help but think that our prayers go unanswered because we are no different from the people of Judah. However, Jeremiah could not cease but to intercede for them. Listen to Jeremiah 14:19-22 New International Version (NIV)
19 Have you rejected Judah completely?
Do you despise Zion?
Why have you afflicted us
so that we cannot be healed?
We hoped for peace
but no good has come,
for a time of healing
but there is only terror.
20 We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord,
and the guilt of our ancestors;
we have indeed sinned against you.
21 For the sake of your name do not despise us;
do not dishonor your glorious throne.
Remember your covenant with us
and do not break it.
22 Do any of the worthless idols of the nation’s bring rain?
Do the skies themselves send down showers?
No, it is you, Lord our God.
Therefore, our hope is in you,
for you are the one who does all this.
God was more than angry with His people but amazingly changes course and promises to again protect Jeremiah of his Duties after appealing to God again. God promises to protect him from the hand of the wicked and to redeem him out of the hand of the terrible. Can I get an AMEN! Isn’t this what we yearn for? Take heart because God will do the same for you. Because we have faith. He will let us speak out against the wicked, the terrible of this world.
Jeremiah was courageous because he had God on his side. We can learn from Jeremiah that when things are at its worst, we have to be quick to pray. God’s favor, compassion and mercy is better attained for us and our people when we pray. Those with no hope are more prone to walk after their own devices and will do whatever evil is in their hearts. And for those the Lord will scatter.
A conspiracy is formed against Jeremiah in
Jeremiah 18:18 New International Version (NIV)
18 They said, “Come, let’s make plans against Jeremiah; for the teaching of the law by the priest will not cease, nor will counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophets. So come, let’s attack him with our tongues and pay no attention to anything he says.” and in
Jeremiah 19:15 New International Version (NIV)
15 “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘Listen! I am going to bring on this city and all the villages around it every disaster I pronounced against them, because they were stiff-necked and would not listen to my words.’” Sound familiar. The people of God have a history of being stiff-necked people. Behaving this way makes it impossible to hear God.
In Jeremiah 20: 7-10, Jeremiah makes a complaint. Let me read this passage and see if you can relate.
Jeremiah 20:7-10 New International Version (NIV)
Jeremiah’s Complaint
7 You deceived[a] me, Lord, and I was deceived[b];
you overpowered me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.
So, the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach all day long.
9 But if I say, “I will not mention his word
or speak anymore in his name,”
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whisperings,
“Terror on every side!
Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!”
All my friends
are waiting for me to slip, saying,
“Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail over him
and take our revenge on him.”
I want to say that Jeremiah had perseverance because even though he had complained, the Word of the Lord was a burning flame in his heart and ultimately, he continues to profess his trust in God. It is amazing to know that in the end it all comes back to God. Jeremiah 20:11-13 is a good place to end this message on a good note.
Jeremiah 20:11-13 New International Version (NIV)
11 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior;
so, my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.
And to that I say Amen!
Up Close and Personal 