PRAYING FOR OTHERS

Kenny Rodgers

Central Truth

We need to be constantly prayerful for others, even when it doesn't come naturally.

"Pardon, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your lovingkindness, just as You also have forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now." (Numbers 14:19)

11 And the LORD said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

Moses Intercedes for the People

13 But Moses said to the LORD, “Then the Egyptians will hear of it, for you brought up this people in your might from among them, 14 and they will tell the inhabitants of this land. They have heard that you, O LORD, are in the midst of this people. For you, O LORD, are seen face to face, and your cloud stands over them and you go before them, in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night. 15 Now if you kill this people as one man, then the nations who have heard your fame will say, 16 ‘It is because the LORD was not able to bring this people into the land that he swore to give to them that he has killed them in the wilderness.’ 17 And now, please let the power of the Lord be great as you have promised, saying, 18 ‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’ 19 Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.”

It's easy for me to pray for myself; I've got that down really well. It's also fairly easy for me to pray for those close to me, such as my family and close friends. I don't pray for them nearly enough, but it's certainly something I make a concerted effort to do. However, praying and caring for people who don't treat me well is something I could definitely improve upon. It's not that I don't care for them -- I deeply do -- but I find myself simply too busy or absentminded to focus on them like I should.

Luckily, Jesus doesn't respond to us in this way. He set the perfect example on how to properly do this in Romans 5:8: "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Moses also sets a good example for us in our passage for today. Yesterday, we read that the Israelites were so upset with their current predicament that they were ready to commit murder (Numbers 14:10). We read today that, because of the people's constant defiance of the Lord, He is ready to destroy them; yet, He tells Moses that He will still make him into a great nation. It would have been easy for Moses to say, "Sounds great, God. These people haven't treated me well anyway, and as long as You take care of me, I'm happy."

But instead of doing that, Moses desperately asks God to preserve the people and pardon their iniquity. This is right in line with Jesus' commandment in Matthew 5:44 to "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." Now, the Israelites certainly weren't the enemy of Moses, but they were definitely persecuting him in this incident and probably felt like an enemy at times.

Above all, though, Moses was chiefly concerned with God's honor and glory. This should be our one and only concern as well. I pray that you and I continue to seek His glory in everything we do, especially in the way we love and pray for others.

1. Are you pursuing God's glory in every situation or your own comfort?

2. Are there any difficult people in your life that you can be praying for?

3. Why do you think God asks us to pray for our enemies?

Prayer