The burden you carry is known to the Lord, though it be hidden from all others. He who numbers the hairs of your head and catches your tears in His bottle is not ignorant of the trial that stirs your heart to plead for . Take comfort in this: before you whispered the request, the Omniscient had already searched it out. He knows the situation perfectly, its every hidden grief, its tangled threads, its secret fears. And because He knows, you may cast yourself upon Him with the confidence of a little chick sheltering beneath the hen’s wing. His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
Yet, knowing that God knows must not make us idle in prayer, but all the more earnest. True intercession is a work of the Spirit, groaning within us with yearnings too deep for words. When we plead for another, forgetting self, we stand in the sweetest sympathy with our Lord Jesus, who ever lives to make intercession. Therefore, let this request drive you to your knees. Say to the Lord, “Do as You have said. You have promised to hear. You have commanded me to cast my burden on You. Now, O God, I bring before Your throne.” Press the suit with holy arguments, reminding the Lord of His covenant, His faithfulness, and His compassion.
But lay hold also of this: prayer, to prevail, must be mingled with faith. If you ask, believe that you receive, and you shall have it. Doubt is the great thief of blessing. It is better to trust God with a million souls than to doubt Him with one. Do you think the arm that stretched out the heavens is shortened, that it cannot save? Has He not said, “Trust Me, and I will save you”? The command to believe is reason enough; it carries the promise within it. Trust Him for , even if the answer tarries. Remember, the delays of God are not denials. Mighty prayer will prevail if it has but time. Jacob wrestled until the breaking of the day, and he prevailed. Never cease from your trust or your prayer; grow more earnest in both.
Perhaps you are burdened because the situation involves one who is walking in darkness. In a land of open Bibles and preached Gospel, many sin against light and knowledge. If so, plead the prayer of Christ on the cross: “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” There are unknown depths of sin, but there are also unknown heights of mercy. The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin. Intercede for the erring one with tears, that they may be brought to the Savior who alone can break the chains of iniquity.
And if your own prayer seems to return to your own bosom with no visible answer, be not cast down. The sweetest joy of answered prayer often comes in God’s own hour. Hannah’s Samuel was the reward of the travail of her soul. The child born of prayer is a treasure indeed, and be it a soul saved, a heart changed, or a burden lifted, the joy will be such as a stranger cannot touch. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thy heart.
Meanwhile, examine your own soul. Are you yourself resting wholly on Jesus? Have you so trusted Him with your own sin that you can with confidence trust Him with this secret need? If you have never fled to the Cross for refuge, your prayers for others lack their surest foundation. The prayer of the wicked is an abomination, but the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Make sure your own calling and election; then your intercessions shall ascend as incense before the Lord.
Now, go again to the mercy seat. Let no dark suggestion of the Evil One drive you from the closet. Though heaven seem brass, pray on. Though the answer be delayed, trust on. The Lord hears, and He will appear for His own. For , and for you, may the peace that passes understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. He who knows the situation will work all things after the counsel of His own will. Only believe.