W.J. Seaton
Dear Friends,
In one of his many sermons on the subject of prayer, Charles Haddon Spurgeon gives us a great word of encouragement with regards to coming to God with our prayers on the behalf of others. When we pray for others, he is telling us, we are to see the benefits that accrue to ourselves out of doing that very thing. A few of those encouragements then.
First “Thou mayest be sure that the King loves thee, when He will permit thee to speak a word to him on the behalf of a friend.” Is that not a precious thought? It is a blessing to our own hearts that we can enter into the courts of the Lord to ask Him something on the behalf of another. But that’s not all that it is: it is also a token to our own hearts that we are beloved of the King who permits us to do that! We have a way into the Courts of heaven; we have an access to the Throne on which the King sits. If anyone had such a thing as that in relation to an earthly monarch, it would be a token of some particular standing that the person had with the monarch. We only need multiply that a thousand times over to come to the realisation that our King loved us indeed, to grant such a privilege to us. We should always be conscious of the many, many times when “our” names would have been mentioned in the throne room of heaven long before we ever came there ourselves. When others prayed for us when we had no thought of praying for ourselves. When others took it as a token of the King’s love towards them to permit them to speak a word on our behalf before Him. We are to discharge that debt before the Lord, and enjoy the benefits of blessing all bound up in doing so.
Second “Earnest longings for the good of those around us,” he goes on to say, “show that we are beginning to take our right position towards our fellow-men, and are no longer living as if we were ourselves the sole end and aim of our existence.” Is that not an excellent word for our hearts and minds? To be engaged in asking for others, and praying for others, and seeking the good of others, is one sure way of getting ourselves “off” ourselves, and the things of ourselves. How easy it is to get so caughtup with self that the good and the interests of others fly out the window. There is no better way of reversing that than by constantly lifting up before the Lord the needs and the good of others. “I will that prayer be made for all men,” 1Tim.2:1. We are not only directed to do that, but when we do it, there are many benefits which come to our own souls as well.
And one final thought – “When we beg for conversions, we are asking for Christ, and with Christ; and herein we have fellowship with Him.” Spurgeon bases this thought on the words of the Second Psalm, where Jehovah the Lord addresses our Lord Jesus Christ in prophecy with regards to the work that He would come into the world to accomplish. “Ask of me (my son) and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance.” So – “When we beg for conversions, we are asking for Christ, and with Christ; and herein, we have fellowship with Him.” A great thought – that the prayer that Christ was told to pray by His Father was for the conversion of the heathen, so that, when we do the same, we are praying “for” Him, and “with” Him. The success of that work is assured as it rests on Christ alone, the Great High Priest who made the sacrifice and ever lives to make intercession. But what His people are constitutes a “kingdom of priests” under Him, and may pray for that for which His Father told Him to pray for. “Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send forth labourers into the harvest”. In numerous ways we are called to pray for others: believers and unbelievers, as well. May the foregoing thought of the Lord’s departed servant show us that there is great benefit and blessing for ourselves in doing that very thing.
Yours sincerely,
W.J. Seaton.
Courtesy of Wicket Gate