“I looked for a man among them who would… stand before me in the breach on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.� In all my life, I have never encountered anyone who refused prayer… except one. He was a young man in Siberia who had essentially become so cynical about the church (the Russian Orthodox church) and their, in his words, hypocrisy, that he wanted nothing to do with religion. It was one of the most shocking experiences in my life. After praying for him anyway, to myself, I was walking away somewhat disturbed, when one of his friends walked up to me and asked for prayer for himself. I gladly did so. When I finished, I was compelled to say this—“Do you realize that I may be the only person in the world who is praying for you?� You should have seen the look on his face! He invited me and the rest of our team to his home because he wanted us to pray for his grandmother as well!
Ever since that time, that statement has held a powerful hold over my soul because I realize that I honestly am the only person who is praying for them in this entire world. I am standing in the breach on their behalf. I quite often sense the pressure that threatens to squeeze through the breach that I stand. It’s overwhelming at times. I go back time and again though… standing there, interceding. It is a heavy burden, but I believe a healthy one. I feel a deep sense of privilege and gratitude that I can do this for them. At the same time, I am sometimes fearful that the Lion of Judah will close His jaws around their necks. I find myself praying often that He does not give up on them… if not for them, but so that I would have a chance to share of His goodness with them. So far so good.
ShepherdLeader.com
A safe place for shepherds to reflect together.