#83 “Great Intercessors of the Bible”

Jabez, Hannah and Jonah -

(Personal Prayer’s That Changed Nations)

“Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory,”

“No my lord," she replies. "I am a tormented woman.”

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me..."

(Jonah 1:2a; 1 Samuel 2; Isaiah 64:6)

The Message (MSG)

By now each of us should understand what it means to intercede, mediate or stand in the gap for others. In this lesson we will cover three individual prayers’s which had amazing impact upon the lives of other.  How many times have we prayed and asked God for something which we felt was for personal reason?  How many times have we asked in pray that we could be financially Blessed?  Now there’s no doubt that a prayer like this would indeed bless the one praying, but should God truly grant their request they would not only have their needs met, but would have plenty left over with which to bless many others.  So what would have appeared to be a selfish prayer really was a prayer to be a blessing to others financially.

When Jabez prayed to the Lord one would think that he was only thinking of himself when he prayed, “Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.” But the truth is that he was asking God to make him a blessing, to cause him to no longer bring pain, that in doing that He would enlarge his territory so that He could impact more lives, once he had been made a blessing instead of a curse. “…So that I will be free from causing pain,” let me cause joy instead.

We’ve covered in previous lessons the importance of being called by name, which for Jabez was, “borne in pain.” What do you do when you have a name, which forever speaks of pain? Well for Jabez, he prayed unto the Lord God or a (Higher Court of Appeal) and requested a legal name meaning change so to speak. “And God granted his request,” and by doing so made Jabez a blessing not just for himself but for many others. Afterwards he could live out the rest of his days being a blessing to everyone around him and not a curse. 

Then there was Hannah whose name meant, “God has graced me with a son,” isn’t it interesting that even before God had cause Hannah to conceive her first child, her name meant that God was going to bless her with a child.  Yet she wept year after year and grew weary in waiting on God to bless her womb. How often do we like Hannah grow weary waiting on the promise of God for our lives? How often do we find ourselves weeping and asking God why He has not manifested the blessing yet? 

Every year when Elkanah went to Shiloh to worship the Lord he would take his wives with him, Hanna (who had no children) and Peninnah (who had children) But Peninnah, Hannah’s  rival wife taunted her cruelly, rubbing it in and never letting her forget that God had not given her children. This went on year after year. Every time she went to the sanctuary of God she could expect to be taunted. Hannah was reduced to tears and had no appetite.” Hannah’s husband loved her much more that he did Peninnah; no doubt this was why she tormented Hannah so much, out of jealousy. Once Hannah had enough she prayed to the Lord and made a vow, to give her first born child back to the Lord all the days of his life.  No doubt this was what God was waiting for as well as for the timing to be right, for he knew that Hannah’s first child would be a prophet unto Lord. 

Hannah prayed – “If you’ll take a good, hard look at my pain, If you’ll quit neglecting me and go into action for me by giving me a son, I’ll give him completely, unreservedly to you. I’ll set him apart for a life of holy discipline.”  And Hannah kept her vow unto the Lord, just as He kept His promise to her. She not only had Samuel but the Lord blessed her womb and she had other children as well. Hannah’s prayer and longing for a child not only brought a blessing to her but it also brought one of the most powerful respected prophets to Israel as well.   

How could anyone forget about Jonah, whose name is said to mean “Dove or Peace?”  Is it any wonder that God called him to deliver the message of destruction to the people of Nineveh? Jonah 2:9 Jonah however made a classic mistake, which was he was too familiar with the Lord God.  Jonah did not refuse to go to Nineveh because he felt they deserved to be destroyed but because he felt he knew the Lord God; “Jonah was furious. He lost his temper. He yelled at God, “God! I knew it—when I was back at home, I knew this was going to happen! That’s why I ran off to Tarshish! I knew you were sheer grace and mercy, not easily angered, rich in love, and ready at the drop of a hat to turn your plans of punishment into a program of forgiveness!”

Something to remember is this we as intercessors should never second guess God, nor should we become angry when He does what He will’s in any given situation; because He is God!  We are His servants, working together with Him to accomplish His will in this earth. Not our own. Even if we think or in fact know what God will do or say we must still follow through with whatever He, God has instructed us to do.  

My Prayer: Heavenly Father, as we look at the lives of these three people we realize that when we pray, even if it is our own personal prayer we are still praying your will into this earth. Whether it’s to bless us with wealth and prosperity or children we know that whatever we have belongs to you just as we do, and we give it back to be used in your service. So we like Jabez ask you to make us a blessing and enlarge our territory so that our lives can affect more people. Like Hannah we ask that you give us children not just natural but spiritual as well and that they will serve you all the days of their lives. Help us to go when you say go and stay when you say stay, knowing you heart and that you are a gracious and loving God who is forgiving and might to save. Thank you for all thy many blessings in Jesus’ name Amen!!! 

Have A Bless Day…Go in God’s Peace!  

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