16. All Called to Be Pauls
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O LORD, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and
to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name.
Nehemiah 1:11W
HATis the cry of every Christian mother’s heart? That her
child may come to know Jesus as Lord. What is the prayer
of the Christian son or daughter at the bedside of a dying parent?
That this one who brought them into the world may not take the
final breath before he or she knows Jesus. What is the desire of one
who knows life’s deepest answer for the friend who is still seeking?
That the seeking friend may come to a knowledge of Christ.
Isn’t this the core of all intercessory prayer? As we bend our knees
and lift our hearts in prayer to our Father, the essence of what we are
seeking on behalf of those for whom we intercede is that they would
know him, believe him, and trust him completely with their lives.
Who are God’s intercessors? He can use anyone and wants to use
everyone. Paul, for instance, was a very unlikely candidate. He was
one of the most ardent persecutors of Christ’s fellowship, and yet he