Glossa Water Year In Review: "Prophetic Warning #6: The Cessation Of Intercessory Prayer"

(originally posted November 1, 2008)

"Do not pray for them; do not cry for them; do not intercede for them; I will not hear you" (Jeremiah 7:16, paraphrase mine).

God promises to punish wickedness and idolatry, and we see that scenario played out over and over again throughout scripture. This passage in Jeremiah, however, reveals another side of God's process of punishment: the call for intercessors to stop interceding.

For an intercessor, this is the worst sign to encounter. When God says stop praying, it's an indication of a set decision. Destruction is coming, and the man in the gap is relieved from his prayer assignment: It's over.

Jeremiah 7:16 gives us a summary of the prayer process of the intercessor:

Pray. We seek the face of God concerning a situation we may not have direct knowledge of, but that we sense God wants us to bring before Him.

Cry. As we understand the nature, gravity, and urgency of the prayer need, our prayer shifts from mere intellectual exercise and is joined by an emotional response: we feel the need, and we cry out to God because we know that if God does not step in, then disaster will result.

Intercede. Intercession involves a deep identification with those who are the subjects of the prayer. The book “Rees Howells: Intercessor” contains excellent examples of the lengths to which an intercessor goes in identifying with the subject and/or prayer need. A shorter text, “Daniel Nash: Prevailing Prince of Prayer” chronicles the work of Daniel Nash, an intercessor who was part of the prayer power behind the ministry of Finney. I highly recommend both texts.

Sometimes the work of intercessory prayer is accompanied by fasting. Sometimes it's accompanied by watching (choosing to deny ourselves sleep in order to wait before God in prayer). But, at the end of the day, it's always God who has the final decision on matters. We can't guarantee that our fervent prayers will change God's mind... but we still pray. That is, we pray until God says stop.

There are some who continue to live as if life has no deadlines- as if they can always get an extension granted from God and continue to defy His mandates. What does God say? It's over. No more extensions.

But if we plead, who knows if God might hear us and delay our punishment (see Second Samuel 12:22)? Bronx Bethany, keep praying- perhaps our prayers can hold back the judgement that sits at our doorstep. Pray, cry, intercede...