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be defeated?” And God heard th e bold prayer of the soldier saint. And th en in Samuel we read how Eli, th e high priest, though t a drunken woman had invaded th e sanctuary. But he found it was H annah, childless, pray ing God for a son. And th e high priest prayed for the woman, and Samuel, th e chief of all th e judges of Israel, was born. In Samuel we read also how .the child born to Bathsheba was sick; and David interceded for th e life of th e child, and they told him th e prayer was not a n swered, because the child died. And I have always though t th e prayer was an swered because th é child did die! For if it had lived it would have moved under th e stigma of illegitimacy, and i t .would have been a standing shame to David, and a scandal to Bathsheba. Ah, God has His left handed way of an swering prayer. And then in .Kings you read how a child was dead, and th e mother sought E lisha for the child’s . life, and he stretched himself out on th e cold form of th e lad and the child’s life came back. And in Chronicles you find King David nearing th e end of th e pilgrim age, filled w ith solicitude regarding his son; and lie prayed th e prayer th a t every fath e r has prayed for his boy: “O God, incline th e heai;t of my sons to keep Thy commahdments.” And then E zra and Nehem iah, th e two books dealing w ith th e retu rn , of th e captivity, are full of th e prayer of intercession. ' You read th e wonderful book of Job, and find how Job used to say in th e morning, ‘‘It may be th a t la st n igh t when my children were out a t £he party they forgot God.” And he would bend him self down before God to pray fo r his children. And afte r his affliction had passed over him, God bade him pray for. his false and foolish friends, th a t they m ight not die th e death. And then
you read a significant phrase, “And the Lord tu rn ed again th e captivity of Job when he prayed for his friend s.” You know how th e Psalm s say, “Pray for th e peace of Jerusalem .” And you knofr how in Isaiah is found my text, “And God wondered th a t th ere was no intercessor.” Then in Daniel you read, “A t the be ginning of th y supplication th e answer w ent fo rth from th e omnipotent throne; and so you see th is stream of interces sion run s through th e Old Testament. In th e New Testam ent In th e New Testam ent it is still pres ent, and in John 17 you read th e g reat prayer of Jesus Christ; th e prayer I have been looking a t for th irty years, and th a t looms larg er to me th is morn ing th a n ever before. And as those bronzed and bearded men surrounded th e Christ they heard him say, “ I pray for them .” B u t I was th ere also, be cause before He stopped th e prayer He said, “N either pray I for these alone, b u t.fo r all them who shall believe on me.” And I get in among those. Do you? And so I go back over 1900 years, and sh u t my eyes and bow my head and listen to Christ praying for me. Ah, bu t does He pray for individuals? “ Simon, Simon, Satan h ath desired to have thee -that he may sift th ee as wheat, b u t I have prayed for thee.” And th ere was nothing b u t the prayer of Jesu s between th e soul of P eter and ho t hell. B u t th a t was enough. You go into th e Acts, and you find P eter is in ja il and th e church takes to prayer. And the locks on th e ja il open of th e ir own accord; and th e angel breaks th e fetters th a t bind Deter to th e sleeping soldier; and God honors the intercessory prayer of th e church. You en ter Romans and find P aul u t tering his trem endous prayer of in te r cession. “ I could wish myself cut off from Christ for Israel’s sake.” Ah, bu t I am no t among Israel! Yes, hu* when he commences th a t same Epistle to the
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