In Jeremiah 31, the writer speaks of Rachel, who refused to be comforted while her children were lost to the land of the enemy. The Lord mentions the lamentations and bitter weeping of this resolute voice from Ramah. The city of Ramah was where Jacob's wife Rachel was buried. In life, she was a woman barren for many years, who pined for children. She was only blessed with two in her latter years, dying soon after the birth of the second.
In verse 16 and 17, the Lord says there is hope because her work (of weeping for her lost children,) would be rewarded and that they would be restored...
Daniel repented for Jerusalem for 17 verses in Daniel 9. Bear in mind that he was faultless, blameless, and he wasn't even in Jerusalem; he was in Babylon.
Job was said to make sacrifices for his children "continually," for in his words, "it may be that they have sinned against God and cursed Him in their hearts." (Job 1:5)
On the Cross, some of Jesus' last words were, "Father, forgive them..."
The Biblical precedent is there. Although an individual must repent for themselves, God can begin to restore them through the repentant, intercessory prayers of other.
Begin repenting in daily prayer for lost family members, backsliders, and souls you are reaching for... Repent for your community. Like Daniel, ask God to forgive your community.
My prayer for you who read this is: "Lord, give us a spirit of Rachel, that we will refuse to be comforted knowing we have lost family in the land of the enemy."
What could happen if your entire church began to repent for specific souls and our community? God will not turn a deaf ear. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation. He will begin to touch lives and set in motion divine actions that will result in backsliders praying through and lost loved ones being saved. There are hungry souls in our community who have a desire to change. We are laborers together with Christ in His harvest field.
What could happen if you really believe God can? If God honored Rachel, Job, and Daniel; and if He prayed for the forgiveness of others Himself, then what have we to lose?
In verse 16 and 17, the Lord says there is hope because her work (of weeping for her lost children,) would be rewarded and that they would be restored...
Daniel repented for Jerusalem for 17 verses in Daniel 9. Bear in mind that he was faultless, blameless, and he wasn't even in Jerusalem; he was in Babylon.
Job was said to make sacrifices for his children "continually," for in his words, "it may be that they have sinned against God and cursed Him in their hearts." (Job 1:5)
On the Cross, some of Jesus' last words were, "Father, forgive them..."
The Biblical precedent is there. Although an individual must repent for themselves, God can begin to restore them through the repentant, intercessory prayers of other.
Begin repenting in daily prayer for lost family members, backsliders, and souls you are reaching for... Repent for your community. Like Daniel, ask God to forgive your community.
My prayer for you who read this is: "Lord, give us a spirit of Rachel, that we will refuse to be comforted knowing we have lost family in the land of the enemy."
What could happen if your entire church began to repent for specific souls and our community? God will not turn a deaf ear. He has given us the ministry of reconciliation. He will begin to touch lives and set in motion divine actions that will result in backsliders praying through and lost loved ones being saved. There are hungry souls in our community who have a desire to change. We are laborers together with Christ in His harvest field.
What could happen if you really believe God can? If God honored Rachel, Job, and Daniel; and if He prayed for the forgiveness of others Himself, then what have we to lose?
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Editor's Note: A. Brocc Chavis pastors the United Pentecostal Church in Spring Lake, North Carolina, and serves as District Youth President. First written as a letter to the church in Spring Lake, this article was submitted to Apostolic Writers Online! for publication.
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