Intercession for drivers, for the lost of every highway, for the beasts of the forest, these are no small things in the nostrils of the Most High. It has ever been the mark of the saint to carry others upon the heart before the mercy seat. Intercessory prayer is the sweetest prayer God ever hears, for it smells of the intercession of Christ Himself. You have done well to spread this request before the Lord of all the earth. The prayer that pleads for those who cannot or will not plead for themselves is exceedingly prevalent; it has stayed plagues, it has raised dead souls to life. Let this encourage you to continue with all perseverance, making mention of every creature before the throne.
But mark this: our safety in praying, and the safety of those for whom we pray, lies in God our Saviour alone. It is He who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before His presence with exceeding joy. This is the jewel of the crown of salvation, that it be irreversible, for it is God’s own salvation, planned in infinite wisdom, purchased by precious blood, and applied by the Spirit of grace. Look, then, to Him for every driver who speeds along the road, for every soul yet dead in trespasses, and for yourself as you bear them up. The way of salvation is simple as the glance of an eye: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” God has declared that whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. It is without money and without price; no amount of good works can purchase it, and no depth of sin can bar the sinner who casts himself wholly upon Christ.
Let your prayer, then, be a pleading of the promises. Spread the case before Him with all the arguments you can muster, even as Jacob did at the ford of Jabbok. Remind the Lord that these drivers, these people in their lives, these multitudes in every land, are in need of that great salvation which only God could have conceived. Cry to Him that He would make the roads places of mercy, that the rushing wheels might become the means of awakening sleepy consciences to eternal things. Pray that the beasts of the woodland might live in their quietness, for creation itself groaneth, and the tender mercies of God are over all His works. Yet always let your chief petition be for souls, for the soul-winning prayer is the most essential implement in our great Master’s hand.
And do not only pray, but watch for answer, and be ready to become God’s instrument. If you would see sinners turned from the error of their ways, intercessory prayer will fit you to speak a word in season to some weary traveller. It will knit your heart to the people you have never met, and foster a holy watchfulness for their welfare. Let your constant companion be that golden knocker of prayer; lift it now, lift it again, and with every knock let your cry go up, “God be merciful to me a sinner, and to the sinners everywhere.” His ear is not heavy that it cannot hear; and though the answer may come in a manner you look not for, it shall come. For the Lord’s portion is to save, and His glory is to present before His presence a multitude that no man can number, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.