DCLM Higher Everyday 26 April 2024 — Intercessory Prayers
Topic: Intercessory Prayers
Text: Acts 12:5-17
5Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
7And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.
8And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.
9And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
10When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.
11And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
12And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.
13And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.
14And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.
15And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.
16But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.
17But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.
Key Verse: “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5).
Message
Someone once said, “Prayer is a dialogue between two people who love each other – God and man.” This implies that prayer is an act of communicating with God. Every Christian youth has a direct line of communication with God, available everytime. But, most Christian youths never lift the phone off the hook, and often forget the line exists until an emergency arises. It is often said that, it is better to pray in advance than to pray in adversity.
In our text, the disciples engaged God in prayer of intercession in faith and Peter was delivered miraculously.He was delivered on the eve of the day he would have been killed. God sent His angel to set him free. God wants believers to intercede for others. In Ezekiel 22:30, God wanted a man to stand in the gap for the land but there was none. Also, James told believers to pray for one another (James 5:16). As young people, you must cultivate the habit of praying for others.
Quote: Pray for one another.
Challenge: By prayer strengthen the weak and feeble.
Prayer for today: Oh God, grant me the spirit of supplications, in Jesus’ name.
1. Admit that you are a sinner. "For all [humans] have sinned, and comes short of the glory of God....[and] the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 3:23)
2. Repent now. "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out ...[for] if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness " (Acts 3:19, 1 John 1:9)
3. Believe that God loves you and Jesus died for you. "God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet Sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
4. Invite Jesus into your life through prayer of faith. Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (Revelation 3:20)
