Mar 30, 2026 – Intercession
JC – “I am taking care of you. Trust Me at all times. Trust Me in all circumstances. Trust Me with all your heart…. Every day provides many opportunities for you to learn My ways and grow closer to Me.”
Utmost – Isaiah 59:16 – “And He…wondered that there was no intercessor.” Chambers offers this food for thought, “The reason many of us leave off praying and become hard towards God is because we have only a sentimental interest in prayer. It sounds right to say that we pray; we read books on prayer which tell us that prayer is beneficial, that our minds are quieted and our souls uplifted when we pray; but Isaiah implies that God is amazed at such thoughts of prayer.”
Chambers explains, “Worship and intercession must go together, the one is impossible without the other. Intercession means that we rouse ourselves up to get the mind of Christ about the one for whom we pray. Too often instead of worshipping God, we construct statements as to how prayer works… We hurl our petitions at God’s throne and dictate to Him as to what we wish Him to do…. Get into the real work of intercession, and remember it is a work, a work that taxes every power; but a work which has no snare. Preaching the gospel has a snare; intercessory prayer has none.”
Max – Isaiah 53:5, “He was pierced for our transgressions… and by his wounds we are healed.” This verse reminds us that Jesus is our ultimate Intercessor in what He did, and what He continues to do, for us. Max prays, “Father, you are perfect in your ways, in your love, and in your mercy… Teach me how to trust and believe in this promise: in Christ, I am no longer a slave to sin…. Thank You for taking care of my debt…. I now live free of condemnation, fear, and guilt. Amen.”
Streams – Isaiah 50:11 – “But now, all you who light fires and provide yourselves with flaming torches, go, walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze. This is what you shall receive from my hand: You will lie down in torment.” Cowman points out the importance of trusting and leaning on God as she offers this explanation of the verse, “This is a solemn warning to those who walk in the darkness and who try to help themselves find the light…. when we are in darkness, the temptation is to find our own way without trusting in the Lord and relying upon Him. We seek the light of the natural way and the advice of our friends. We reason out our own conclusions and thereby may be tempted to accept a path of deliverance that would not be of God at all…. Beloved, never try to get out of a dark place except in God’s timing and in His way.”
She shares this from The Still Small Voice, “Remember, it is better to walk in the dark with God than to walk alone in the light” and this from Stephen Merritt, “Stop interfering with God’s plans and with His will…. You may be able to rush the unfolding of some aspects of God’s will, but you harm His work in the long run.” Indeed. I think we all have those “if only” moments from our pasts (distant and even recent); but, hopefully, as we mature in our faith, we learn to more quickly say, from Mark 14:36, – “Not what I will, but what you will;” and, when we don’t follow that path, we still have Romans 8:28.
Power – Joyce entitled today’s devotion, “Leave It in God’s Hands” and she draws from Mark 9:23 – “What do you mean, ‘If I can?’ Jesus asked. ‘Anything is possible if a person believes.’” Joyce points out that, “In this verse, Jesus says all things are possible ‘if a person believes’ – not ‘if a person comes up with a bright idea and a big plan and thinks about it over and over, trying to make it work in his or her own power…. desiring change is just part of living. But the truth is you can’t really change most of your circumstances or yourself without God’s help. Put your desire before God in prayer and ask Him to work in you and in your life in amazing ways.”
Prevail #89 – We have learned that no one can thwart the plans of God; no natural disaster, no enemy, and no unwilling believer. How great it is to watch a willing and devoted believer experience God’s prevailing power which is what Larson points out, “The enemy told David, ‘You’ll never break through these gates.’ [1 Chronicles 11:5] Nevertheless, David broke through and made it his capital…. The locked gates before you are nothing more than an opportunity for faith…. Your story and your breakthroughs are never just about you…. Jesus, Your Spirit in me ensures that nothing will be impossible for me! You go before me. I’ll follow You. Awaken my faith today. Amen.”
