Debtor_40 day journey_header
DAY 5: Priest                                                                                         June 5, 2015

 
"So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall,
and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land,
that I should not destroy it; but I found no one."
(Ezekiel 22:30, NKJV)

MORNING DEVOTION - "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee..." (Psalm 63:1)
 
Scripture Reading:  Hebrews 7:24-25
 
In our devotion time yesterday, we read how Jesus offered up words of encouragement to His disciple Peter, letting him know that He was praying for him (reference Mark 11:22).  Even though he felt the most extreme sense of loss and loneliness, having rejected his beloved Teacher and Friend, and then watching Him die on the cross, Peter would not have to walk the dark valley he was about to face alone.  It would be impossible to bare such pain without the promised prayers of His Lord. 
 
Our heavenly Father gave us the extraordinary gift of His Spirit to guide us into perfect union with Him.  But is the work and continued occupation of Jesus as our intercessor that allows us direct access to the throne of grace.  Jesus is our great intercessor.  "...He always lives to intercede..." (v.25b).  His life is prayer.  The power of prayer comes from our Savior Jesus Christ who sits in the position of power.  "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" (Romans 8:34).
 
Jesus, as the faithful mediator between God and man, willingly and obediently laying down His life on the cross to bridge this terrible breach, securing for mankind the right and privilege to enter into the holy of holies as His chosen priesthood.  Jesus gave us HIs life that we might experience the fullness of life that comes through faith and continues with prayer.  Jesus prays for us even today that our faith, like Peter's, will not fail; and, that, through our union with Him, we would receive power to continue in prayer to draw strength from heaven for our brothers and sisters in the faith. 
 
Heavenly Father,
 I praise You for the work of Your Son,
who not only gave His life for me,
but continues to give His life in prayer.
I thank You for this encouragement to face
whatever comes my way knowing that I
am being lifted up continually in prayer
because of His faithful intercession. 
In Jesus' Name. Amen. 
 
We have the privilege of "listening in" on Jesus' prayer as He intercedes for us with the Father, as recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 17:20-26.  It is here He reveals the desire of the Father and the Son to be in perfect union with His children.  His prayer provides for us the standard the unity He desires for the whole Body of believers.  May we pray today for unity in, and for, the Church, so that the whole world will witness the love and wisdom of God.  May our lives model Christ's priestly mediation, in all of our words and deeds, as we minister to the Body of Christ. "...so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God..." (Ephesians 4:11-13).
 
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AFTERNOON DEVOTION - "Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17 KJV).
 

Scripture Reading: 1 Peter 2:4-12
 
Jesus, our great High Priest, continually intercedes for us at the right hand of the Father so that we will receive His power and blessing to continue His work of building us up in faith, and advancing His kingdom in the earth.  He has called us to be a kingdom and priests (reference Revelation 1:6; 5:10), a "holy priesthood" (1 Peter 2:5); set apart to minister in His temple as we faithfully answer His call to the holy work of intercession.  Just as the priests of the Old Testament kept the altar fires burning with the sacrifices and prayers of the people, so too are we, to keep ourselves pure and holy to the Lord, so that His Holy Spirit can fill us and keep the light of Christ shining in and through us to the world while we share His love and labor in prayer for the many needs of others.
 
As priests of the Lord, we have a holy calling to stand in the gap for others who are in need of answers, healing, deliverance, and salvation. Our time in prayer is not meant to just seek answers for ourselves.  We have been given the burden and privilege to petition the Father and pray for others, so that they, also, can experience the grace and mercy of God as we humbly, and obediently, offer ourselves up as living sacrifices for the purposes of being a useful vessel  with which He can pour His love into the world.  May we recognize the vital importance of this calling we have been given, and strive to keep the flame of fire on the prayer altar ablaze with our fervent, faithful prayers for others.
 
Heavenly Father,
I desire the passion I have for You
to be translated into a burning passion
to pray for those You desire to reach.
Help me to remain at my prayer post,
interceding for my family and for those 
you have placed in my sphere of influence,
that the prayer altar will remain ablaze with the
fervent prayers for others. 
In Jesus' Name. Amen
 
 
This afternoon, consider the words written in 1 Timothy 2:1-6, as you accept your roll as an intercessor in the holy priesthood of God: "I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.  This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all men - the testimony given in its proper time".  Let us remember that all authority is established by God (reference Romans 13:1).  Therefore, let us pray the Father's heart on behalf of those He has given power and influence to, being mindful also of the authority we have been given in Christ Jesus, that they would bow before the Supreme Authority in heaven, where justice and righteousness are the foundation of His throne (reference Psalm 89:14).
 
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EVENING MEDITATION - "...and on His law he meditates day and night" (Ps. 1:2) 

 
Scripture Reading: Psalm 90
 
In the Book of Exodus, Chapter 32, we find Moses, who had just come down from the mountain of the Lord with the Law a second time, after having to return to the Lord for another 40 days of prayer and fasting to intercede on behalf of a disobedient and idolatrous nation.  "The next day Moses said to the people, 'You have committed a great sin.  But now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin" (Exodus 32:30).  Moses was willing to lay down his life in prayer to save his people from the wrath and destruction of God.  From the beginning of his ministry to the very end Moses interceded for his people, and God shaped an entire nation through his fervent prayers.  Psalm 90 provides a glimpse of the prayers of this great intercessor of God.
  
Heavenly Father,
We pray for the kind of influence
that Moses had with You.  He understood that the work
You called him to could only 
be accomplished in and through prayer  -
a skill he learned in Your schoolroom as he learned to abide in You.
Help all of us on this journey to lay down our lives during these
40 days, and offer ourselves, as willing sacrifices,
to labor in fervent and focused prayer, that we
would see the advancement of Your kingdom on this earth.
In Jesus' Name. Amen.
 
  
If we desire our work to be as effective as Moses' was, we must become people of prayer.  God has accomplished great movements in His kingdom through the prayers of His faithful priests who kept the prayer altar aflame.  It's been said that, "Whenever the Lord is about to do a great work, He sets His people to praying."  May we remain faithful to this holy occupation these 40 days, believing that the Lord has called us for such a time as this to stand in the gap in prayer, so that His will can be done in this earth as it is in heaven.  May we be encouraged that our labor is not in vain, as we remind ourselves of the faithful prayers of Daniel:  "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days..." (Daniel 10:12-13a)
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"Perhaps no sin of omission more frequently occasions this
 than the neglect of prayer."
 
- John Wesley 
Thank you for praying with us!

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DEBTOR: Labor of Love 40 Days of Prayer
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