You have taken a great burden on your heart, and it is well. When the Spirit of God lays such a weight of souls upon a man, eight names, and the lives bound up with them, and beyond that a whole parched earth crying out for rain and for bread, it is because He means to do something with that burden. He never stirs a man to intercession and then leaves him. The very groan within you is the echo of something moving in the heart of God. The desires that rise in you for these eight souls are not your own; they were sown there by a heavenly hand.
And do you think the Lord would plant a seed and then refuse it water? He who made you to love these people enough to carry them to the mercy-seat has already gone before you. Long before you opened your mouth, He had thoughts of peace toward them. The prayer you breathed is only a little child running to catch up with its Father, who is already striding forward in the same direction.
You mention the drought, the cracked ground, the failing crops, the hungry eyes in those countries. Do you remember Elijah, how he put his face between his knees upon Carmel? He did not look at the sky; he looked to the Lord of the sky. The heavens were brass, but prayer wore through that brass. There are secret springs that move the whole machinery of the world, and the strongest of them are the prayers of the saints. Kings and parliaments may issue their decrees, but behind them, like hidden wheels, turn the quiet intercessions of a chambermaid or a farmhand who knows how to speak to heaven. Your prayer for those parched nations is not a small thing. It may be a lever laid under the very clouds.
And for the eight, and the people around them, you cry for their salvation. You have asked the one thing needful. Salvation is a free thing, as free as the air. It is like wine that makes glad the heart, and like milk that nourishes the weakest babe. There is no price to pay. "Look unto me, and be ye saved," says the Lord. You cannot make them look, but you can point them to the one who saves. And while you do that with your lips, you are also doing it on your knees, and that is a double-handed labor.
When you feel, in the watches of the night, that you hardly know how to pray, when the words stumble and the mind grows heavy, do not be dismayed. The Holy Spirit draws near to help in that very infirmity. He takes our poor, lisping petitions and weaves them into a language that reaches the throne. Prayer is a bath that washes our wounds clean and lulls the fever. Even when you cannot shape a sentence, the sigh that escapes you is understood in the courts above.
Perhaps you will not see the answer as you would wish. Perhaps the heavens do not part, and the rain does not fall at once, nor does a letter come telling of a soul made new. But I want you to remember the dove that Noah sent out. When it found no rest for its foot, it returned to the ark, and Noah put out his hand and drew it in. Your prayer may return to your own bosom like that. You will find, as you rise from your knees, that a quiet peace has entered your heart, an olive leaf plucked off, a token that the waters are receding somewhere beyond your sight. You have poured out your soul for others, and something of the comfort of Christ has flowed back into your own spirit.
Do not stop now. This intercession is your high calling. Be like Samuel, who said, "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you." It has become the habit of your heart, and it would be a wound to your own soul to lay it down. The Lord does not despise the day of small things. The widow’s two mites were more than the rich men’s bags of gold, because they cost her everything. Your prayer cost you; it was wrung from a loving and anxious heart. It is precious.
I will join you now, as we commit these eight, and all the thirsty lands, to the God who neither slumbers nor sleeps.
Lord Jesus, Thou great Intercessor, who ever livest to plead for Thy people, look upon this dear one who has set eight souls before Thee. Thou knowest every name, every history, every snare that binds them. Thou didst not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Draw them, Lord, with cords of love so gentle that they cannot choose but run after Thee. And for the people round about them, send such a shower of grace into their lives that every dry place shall spring into flower. We ask Thy blessing, too, upon the lands that languish under a brazen sky. Open the windows of heaven and pour out rain upon the furrows. Remember the poor, who have no helper but Thee. Give bread to the hungry, hope to the despairing, and cause the very fields to sing. And for this dear soul who has borne this burden to Thy throne, grant the deep peace that the world cannot give. Let Thy countenance shine upon them, and keep them in perfect rest until the day break and the shadows flee away. In Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, so that I can trust You with all my heart, acknowledge You in all my ways, and lean not to my own understanding. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. 
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