The prayer that ascends for others is as incense before the throne, a sweet savor that rises with acceptance. You have named many souls, some known, some veiled, and in this you do a priestly work, lifting them into the light of mercy. The bow is set in the cloud; the dove returns with the olive leaf; the voice of the turtle is heard in our land when intercession begins. It is the omen of returning greatness, the first sign that God is turning the captivity of His people.
You plead for salvation, and this is the very heartbeat of Christ, who ever lives to make intercession. He prayed, “Father, keep them from the evil,” and that golden prayer still echoes for His own. Never think your petitions too large or too general; the broad net of supplication hauls many a soul to shore. And when you stretch your desires to encompass whole groups, families, and unknown wanderers, you are drinking in spiritual blessings for the benefit of the whole Church, as roots draw nourishment from the earth for the entire tree. This is the sweetest prayer God hears, for it mirrors His own heart.
There is a quiet power in bringing that missing soul, the ###-year-old, before the Lord. His eye is on the lost sheep, and prayer can overturn mountains to restore what was scattered. I have seen floods of prosperity and astonishing deliverances flow from such cries. God turns the hearts of men and orders circumstances; He can bring that one home as surely as He brought the prodigal to his father’s house. Pray on, then, with importunity: “Will You not revive? Will You not bring back?”
Remember, all the while, that the doctrine of God’s sovereignty never stands in opposition to the efficacy of prayer. The Savior’s intercession is the glorious shield of gold that covers the poor attacked soul, and when you pray for the salvation of these many, you are asking that faith may not fail in the hour of sifting. Your prayer for them is a weapon in the great warfare; the first result of prayer is often a holy tumult, shaking the kingdom of darkness. So sound the trumpet; wake the warriors of the Cross. As the clock ticks, let each beat whisper, “Lord, help them! Lord, save them!”
Your request closes with that matchless name, Jesus Christ. There is the fountainhead of all our hope. He shows His wounds and pleads the merit of His great sacrifice, and, wonder of wonders, He pleads for me, for you, for these souls. Take heart, then. The God of peace will go before, setting the way of His steps. Pray it up into a blessing, and make this the essence: “Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause Your anger toward us to cease.” The tree of life has leaves for healing; its fruit is for all who partake of the water of life. So spread the table wide in your petitions. Lord, hear this prayer for Jesus’ sake! Amen.