The Great Sending, Chapter 37

STUDY 37: A Kingdom of Priests Who Pray, 

pp. 188-190
Reference:  Revelations 5:9-10; 1:5-6; Exodus 19:3-8; 1 Peter 2:4-12

Reverand Dr. Gerhard Michael

Prayer is one way that priests stand as representatives between people and God. As priests, we pray, taking the world and its needs to God. Intercession is indeed a role we can play, for Jesus Christ, our great high priest, has removed our sins which would block us from getting through to God. By His perfect sacrifice, we have open access to the throne of grace. Further, through the work of the Holy Spirit, we priests are the children of God. The Almighty is our heavenly Father. We can pray confidently, for He loves us; His ears are open to our cries.

Jesus, the Son of God, shows the way. He prayed for Himself, that He might fulfill His mission: "My Father, if it be possible let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will" (Matthew 26:39). He prayed for others as he prayed for Peter: "I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail" (Luke 22:32).

Seeing the harassed and helpless crowds, He urged His followers to pray for workers in the bountiful harvest. Surely that advice must have been accompanied by His own prayers for them.

For whom should we pray? As Jesus prayed for Himself, so should we. Let us ask God to use us as agents of His saving mission. More than likely, our service in the world will open our hearts and minds to the needs of people. Their cries for help will most likely call forth our intercessions.

And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.
~ Exodus 19:6

Let us begin in our families. We hear the voice of the spouse who is lonely, the child who is struggling in school because she is being picked on, the aging parent whose health makes him feel useless, the adult child who has abandoned the family's faith, the family member who has lost his job – all of these and more are opportunities for our petitions.

What might we encounter in the wider society? Perhaps people who have experienced a fire or flood, who have experienced injustice because of their race, who are despondent because of the political climate in our country. The needs are many for what to pray, as are the people for whom to pray. When we think of the role of societal leaders – in government, in business, in education, in medicine – should we not include them too? Without a stable, caring society, the missionary task is much harder. With eyes and ears open, we will undoubtedly detect many in need of our prayers.

Since God's plan is to evangelize the world through His church, we dare not forget to pray for God's kingdom of priests. Let us pray for God to help them live in love and witness in Word and deed to the Lord's love for all people. And since we cannot all go to the far reaches of the world, let us include our faraway missionaries!

How wonderful that Jesus did not simply instruct us priests to pray for His mission, but that He assures that God will answer! Here is one of God’s powerful promises: "Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you" (John 16:23). We can pray with confidence, to paraphrase a John Newton hymn: One can never ask too much, because we are coming to a King.