If we are praying as this verse commands, our prayers might cost the ones for whom we pray more than we expect. When we begin to intercede in prayer for others, God begins to lift them into a totally
\ndifferent sphere, a process that may involve trials and difficulties. We have to make sure that our natural sympathy doesn\u2019t get in God\u2019s way. If we slip from identifying with his interests in others into personal sympathy for them, our vital connection with God will be lost. Putting sympathy first is a rebuke to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is impossible to pray vitally unless we have perfect confidence in God. Personal sympathy and prejudice weaken this confidence; identification with God ensures it. Whenever we stop being identified with God, it is because of sympathy, not sin. Sin isn\u2019t likely to interfere with our relationship to God, but sympathy will make us say, \u201cI refuse to allow this to happen.\u201d When we refuse to allow God to have his way, we have lost our vital connection with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If we are interceding properly, we have neither time nor inclination to pray for our own sad, sweet selves. It\u2019s not that we\u2019re working hard to keep thoughts of ourselves at bay; thoughts of ourselves simply aren\u2019t there. In vital intercession, we are completely and entirely identified with God\u2019s interests, and our natural sympathy\u2014for ourselves and for others\u2014is entirely eclipsed.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
If we are praying as this verse commands, our prayers might cost the ones for whom we pray more than we expect. When we begin to intercede in prayer for others, God …<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":1984,"template":"","collection":[41],"class_list":{"0":"post-5927","1":"modern-classic","2":"type-modern-classic","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"collection-prayer"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/utmost.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/modern-classic\/5927","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/utmost.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/modern-classic"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/utmost.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/modern-classic"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/utmost.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/modern-classic\/5927\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utmost.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/utmost.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"collection","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/utmost.org\/id\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/collection?post=5927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}