Insistent Intercession

Caveat to the following post…this isn’t a critique of YOUR prayer life, it's a reflection of my own, that said, should this convict you, all the better…

Ever feel like our approach to God is one of timidity or underwhelming expectations? If we don’t hope for God to do too much then we won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t deliver the goods. We couch our prayers in good Christian-ese phrases like “if it be your will…then X, Y, Z”

I understand the humble approach of not presuming upon will of God and bowing to His plan for our lives. We are indeed called to pray, “Thy will be done...”, however, sometimes I use that theological construct as a cop-out, remaining timid and vanilla in my prayer life instead of adopting a passionate pursuit of insistent intercession. Far too often I’m an apologetic groveling servant instead of acting like a child of the King.

As I’ve been perusing several accounts of healing in the gospels, I’ve been struck by an underlying theme of not only an earnest appeal by those seeking to be healed but a dogged persistence of unwavering faith and I’m convicted that I don’t approach God in this manner. Consider the healing of the blind man, Bartimaeus in Mark 10

46 And they came to Jericho. And as he was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a great crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar, the son of Timaeus, was sitting by the roadside. 47And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49And Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” And they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take heart. Get up; he is calling you.” 50And throwing off his cloak, he sprang up and came to Jesus. 51And Jesus said to him, “What do you want me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Rabbi, let me recover my sight.” 52And Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he recovered his sight and followed him on the way.

I love this story for many reasons. Batimaeus wasn’t bashful! He believed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God and that he not only had the power to heal but the willingness to do so. He knew what he desired and he wasn’t afraid to ask. Sometimes I feel like just reading the words don’t do them justice. I envision this man, this blind beggar, sitting by the road and calling out, probably shouting at the top of his voice. JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE MERCY ON ME!!! The crowd tells him to shush but he will not remain silent. He refuses to be cowed in fear, to be timid in the face of opposition. He has a singular focus. His insistent intercession showcases the faith he had in the Rabbi. Do I have that type of faith, that singular focus? Do I believe in insistent intercession?

This morning as I type this my little girl is under anesthesia in the nuclear medicine suite at Children’s Hospital in Denver. Yes, I pray this morning to my Father in heaven that “your kingdom come, your will be done,” but I also pray, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on my little girl!” Today I wish to approach the throne of grace with boldness and confidence, with the kind of faith that moves mountains and shrinks tumors. I believe my God can heal Kaitlyn and I won’t be afraid to ask Him to heal her, for the tumor to be gone, for the doctors to be amazed. My supplication should not resemble shrill demands of a petulant child but rather demonstrate an unshakeable faith in a great big God and His love for those who are His.

God may not choose to heal the way I hope He does or in the timing I desire. But today I cast off the timidity that so often dominates my prayer life and offer insistent intercession on behalf of my little girl.