Psalm 17:1 “Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry.”

[You, Lord, are the prayer-answering God. Intercession was your idea, giving us a way to enter your presence, your arms, your heart. It is the primary way that we can join you in your plans. People say, “Well, the least I can do is pray for you.” Not true: the most I can do for you is to pray for you; that should be our first action in any situation.

We know that you answer prayer, for You are the God who:

--heard Joseph and gave him the interpretation of dreams;

--who heard Moses and opened the Red Sea;

--who heard David and defeated his enemies;

--who heard Daniel and told him the dream of the king;

--who heard Jesus and raised Lazarus from the dead.

--who heard Paul and gave him courage, stamina and wisdom.

--And you are the God who hears us still and will answer in the same faithfulness and power you always have.]

“Give ear to my prayer—it does not rise from deceitful lips.”

[Your part is to hear, ours is to come to you in integrity, not trying to manipulate you or paint ourselves as better than we are or trick you into moving against someone unjustly. To do any of these is, of course, ridiculous, for nothing is hidden from your eyes, including our motives. You are the all-seeing, all-knowing, all-present One. 

It is our part to sort through our motives and to reject the negative and neutral ones, and then to pray according to your will as revealed by your Word.

Praise you that we can and must be totally transparent before you—and that such honesty does not negatively affect your openness to us one bit, “for you are good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all who call upon you” (Psalm 86:5). You are very pleased when we are honest and open.

In Revelation it tells us that the prayers of the saints (any born-again believer) are like a sweet incense before God that bring Him joy and pleasure. What an easy way to please Him, what an easy way to work with Him, what an effective way to accomplish His desires. Lord help us to be consistent in our intercession for all the saints all the time.