Sentiyula A Along
Is there anyone reading this who is not feeling restless at the state of affairs in our state? I am sure every sane person feels the weight of what has been happening in the past few weeks. We are in fact, in a state of mourning, singing a lament as it were for the loss of lives, houses and land. No one is exempted from singing this death dirge. Danger has arrived at the doorstep of all, irrespective of status , position and gender. How long this period of mourning will continue depends on our response today. If we want to bring about a change in the situation, it can only be achieved through the intervention of our Almighty God. But how do we bring the presence of our Holy Father into this dark part of the world? We can invite Him into our midst by waking up from our lethargic state and invoking His presence. Let us exercise our authority as fellow siblings of Jesus Christ seated in the heavenly places to intercede for our land and our people. This authority is God-given and no human institution can give it to us nor take it from us. And by exercising this authority we can bring the glorious presence of God to shed light on us.
But where do we start? Through intercession. Intercession is a Kingdom authorised activity every believer can take part in (Matthew 10: 1- “He called the twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness”). Through intercession, we can chase demons and help the sick get healed. When we intercede for others, we become history makers. How? When a sick person about to die gets healed through our prayers, do we not change the history of that person and his/her family? When a demon possessed person or an addict gets free from their bondage, is not his/her history changed? Therefore Naga history can be changed for the better by the very people reading this. But if we do not heed this call for intercession and remain mute spectators, we will also be held responsible for the decay of our society. Yes, God is calling each of us to release the Kingdom through our lives and through our prayers. We are called to be reformers through our intercessory powers.
Then how do we intercede or who do we intercede for? An intercessor is someone who prays exclusively for others. There are many intercessors in Nagaland. The numerous prayer centres in Nagaland are an example. But just the people in the prayer centres praying day and night for Nagaland is not enough. All believers have to intercede in earnest for our land. We can no longer leave the reformation of our society to some counsellors, missionaries or church leaders and think that our land will be healed by their prayers alone.
An intercessor is a go-between between two groups which do not see eye to eye. An intercessor stands in the middle taking a middle position. He/she is the person “standing in the gap”. God is looking for people to stand in the gap. If you see a person whose sins have separated him from the love of God, you can pray for his/her needs and wait expectantly to see that prayer answered in his/her life. Ezekiel 22:30 says “And i sought a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land that i should not destroy it.” Are you that person ready to stand in the gap and plead for Nagaland? If we pray only for our needs and wants, it shows how shallow our character is. The more we intercede for others, the less selfish we become.
Interceding for others is like sowing seeds. If we want to reap a harvest, we need to sow seeds first. Did we not declare Nagaland for Christ? Have we not promised ten thousand missionaries? Have we sowed seeds of prayer that out of the thousands of students that appear exams every year, at least a few hundred will serve God? Declarations without action is useless and promises are made to be kept. We need to galvanise ourselves into action and put our words into action.
When we start praying for others, it will automatically bring blessings into our lives. We are often tempted to judge others and that keeps us in bondage. Is there somebody who doesn’t agree with your point of view? Why don’t we start praying for that person instead of passing judgement over him/her. That way, you will be a blessing to him/her and you will also make faster progress towards the fulfilment of your own destiny. Praying for others releases us from our bondage too.
The foremost intercessor is Jesus Christ, our High Priest. He intercedes for sinful humanity to our Holy Father. His constant intercession is protecting us from the wrath of God. Hebrews 7:25 clearly says “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to god through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” That is the reason why we end our prayers in Jesus’ name! How powerful is this intercessor that his very name should save us.
Every believer is an intercessor. Praying, thanksgiving, praise, worship and intercession do not require any special spiritual gift! It is the birthright of every believer. It is an equal opportunity given to every believer. All of us can intercede and help Jesus in the task of intercession. And it is not an obligation but an honour that we should fulfil with hopeful expectation.
The Bible tells us to pray continually. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 says “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Prayer is God’s will. God himself exhorts us to pray because he delights in our prayers. We are fond of saying, “I don’t think God hears my prayers”. No, not only does He hear them but He delights in them. And He wants us to rejoice and give thanks in all circumstances.
Abraham is one of the first great intercessors of the Bible. His most famous intercessory prayer was for one of the most sinful places in the world- Sodom and Gomorrah! Yet this “Father of Faith”, the “Friend of God” interceded passionately that the twin cities of sin be spared! Why did God reveal His plan to destroy the cities to Abraham considering that he did not even live there? Maybe it was because of Abraham’s compassion. Abraham prayed that the cities be not destroyed if there were 50 righteous people living there, bringing the number down to 45, 40, 30,20 and finally 10( Genesis 18:24-32). Fellow believers, why is God asking us to pray that Nagaland not be destroyed? Perhaps He has seen your compassion and deep love for Nagaland. He is inviting you to pray. He was not angry with Abraham for pleading non-stop and He will not be angry with us for pleading for our children, for our wives, for our husbands, and for our leaders. Only when we stop praying will God stop answering. God quits when man quits. Remember, we are God’s chosen people. We cannot stop believing in and should keep claiming the promises of God. Be tenacious. Never give up.
Let us return to the word “authority” again. Believers have the authority to keep violence from happening in their areas and communities. We can stop shootings and killings from happening in the first place. Adam gave authority of Earth over to Satan but with the Resurrection of Christ we can take back the authority again. This authority comes with the New Birth. But believers must know how to operate it. Every believer has authority because he/she is seated up in the heavenly places with Jesus. The principles of the authority of believers is written in the book of Ephesians (Chapter 1:17-23). When we became born again, we received the power called Resurrection Power that seated us along with Jesus Christ in the Right hand of God. This God we worship is so powerful that there are no words to describe it. It is incomparable and beyond description. When Jesus died and was raised up by God, it shows that his sacrifice for the sins of mankind was accepted. We became children of God through the resurrection of Christ. And as siblings of Jesus Christ, we have power “Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given not only in the present age but also in the one to come.”(Ephesians 1: 21). Therefore, exercising this authority, let us use the blood of Jesus to draw a line of protection over our communities. And surely, we will see peace manifested in our society, a peace which may not necessarily be the absence of strife but the blessing of tranquillity. And this tranquillity is the reconciliation between God and man based on faith and union with the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Thessalonians 1: 2 says “We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. we continually remember before our God and father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.” This passage talks about Intercession and Holy Friendship. It raised Christians to such a state of mutual love that it exceeded all that was praised in human friendship. And when this same spirit of intercession is again in the world, as it was in the time when Paul this letter to fellow Christians, then Christianity will have the same power over the hearts of people now as it had then. Holy friendship will again be in fashion and believers will again be the wonder of the world because of the great love they bear for each other. God is love and He wants us to love one another with the same kind of love with which He loves us. Let us raise our level of intercession so that the enmity that we bear to our fellow believers will be replaced by that of Holy Friendship and show the world that indeed, Nagaland is for Christ. Amen.
