Daily Devotions – Intercessory Prayer

Daily Devotions – Intercessory Prayer

Romans 10:1-4 (ESV)

10 Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

Paul deeply desires for the people of Israel to be saved, so much so that he even wishes he could sacrifice himself on their behalf (see Romans 9:3). But he knows what they do not; that only Jesus can save. If Paul was able to sacrifice himself for them; there would be no need for Jesus. If we could get to God on our own we would not need a Savior. But Paul understood that all people, even the Israelites, were broken and could never hope to earn eternal life. The Israelites had rejected their savior and would not believe in him. This week take time to think about people in your life who you deeply care about, like Paul cared about the Israelites. It is not our job to save them, but it is our job to tell them about the one who has! Make a list of at least 3 people; keep it nearby this week, and pray for their salvation as well as their earthly needs. This type of prayer is called “intercessory” prayer because we are interceding to God on someone’s behalf