“He saw that there was no man – He was amazed that there was no one interceding; so His Own Arm brought salvation, and His Own Righteousness supported Him” (Isaiah 59:16, HCSB).
“There was no man… no one interceding.” Of course, this statement first and foremost speaks of the impossibility that any man could bridge the gap between himself and God, or between God and any other person – it simply cannot and could not be done. Until Jesus came. The One and Only Perfect Son of God could do and did do what no one else could – He became the Bridge of Forgiveness.
As we look at this verse, we also have to look at the reality of humanness. Even though there were priests among God’s people Israel who sincerely sought to please and honor Him and who cared passionately for God’s people, there were also many who were simply doing the job their lineage had landed them in – in other words, they were going through the motions. They weren’t truly, from the heart, “interceding.”
But before we frown on these people’s behavior, what about our own? How often are we, in church and at home in our prayer or quiet time merely going through the motions?
For years I was part of a weekly prayer and Bible study group. As I led the studies, another lady, Sue, led the prayer. Every week she’d come with her spiral binder filled with praise reports, ongoing prayer requests and new things to bring before the Father. It took a long time for what I already knew to sink into my heart – that Sue’s prayer life at home was no different than her prayer life in front of our study group. That woman prayed for every need as if it was her own.
And so should we. I am so thankful that God is patient with nitwits like me! I had always been such a stickler for keeping an ongoing list of grocery and household item needs on a magnetic holder on my refrigerator – I knew I’d never remember those things if I didn’t write them down the minute I thought of them or realized we needed them. And I also realized that I could never go to the grocer’s and come home with what we needed without taking the list with me.
Which brought me to the realization: how dare I come before our Holy God and haphazardly rattle off the pitiful little I can remember! I should never have done that, and neither should you.
If you aren’t already doing so, start today keeping a list of prayer requests and praise reports and use it whenever you pray. I know folks whose lists are so long that they’ve broken them up into days of the week – my family is prayed for every Tuesday by one person. Whatever it takes, there should be a system, an ORDER to your prayer life, and to ALL your life because our Lord is “not a God of disorder” (I Corinthians 14:33). And we are to be like Him.
Add to that list all the things you’re thankful for. Also, write down the sins you struggle with. As you see God work in these areas and answer these requests, write down your thanks and tell Him how much you love Him for “interceding.”
What we couldn’t do for ourselves, Jesus Christ did. We owe Him our everything!
“His Own Arm brought salvation.”
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