My Utmost for His Highest - May 4th - Vicarious Intercession

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus. - Hebrews 10:19

    Beware of imagining that intercession means bringing our personal sympathies into the presence of God and demanding that He does what we ask. Our approach to God is due entirely to the vicarious identification of our Lord with sin. We have "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus."

    Spiritual stubbornness is the most effectual hindrance to intercession, because it is based on sympathy with that in ourselves and in others that we do not think needs atoning for. We have the notion that there are certain right and virtuous things in us which do not need to be based on the Atonement, and just in the domain of "stodge" that is produced by this idea we cannot intercede. We do not identify ourselves with God's interests in others, we get petulant with God; we are always ready with our own ideas, and intercession becomes the glorification of our own natural sympathies. We have to realize that the identification of Jesus with sin means the radical alteration of all our sympathies. Vicarious intercession means that we deliberately substitute God's interests in others for our natural sympathy with them.

    Am I stubborn or substituted? Petted or perfect in my relationship to God? Sulky or spiritual? Determined to have my own way or determined to be identified with Him?

- From Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest" - Classic Edition

Highlights and Underlines are courtesy of Mom from her print edition.

Mom's thoughts

Brooke's birthday

My thoughts

He continues to speak of prayer and the way we approach God. Sympathy (5) is spoken of again. And identifying ourselves with Him (Jesus our Lord).  Jesus and His atonement or sacrifice is also mentioned. By identifying with Jesus and with sin, we are radically altered of all our sympathies. What is God's interest in others? 

My Utmost for His Highest - May 3rd - Vital Intercession

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, - Ephesians 6:18

    As we go on in intercession we may find that our obedience to God is going to cost other people more than we thought. The danger this is to begin to intercede in sympathy with those whom God was gradually lifting to a totally different sphere in answer to our prayers. Whenever we step back from identification with God's interest in others into sympathy with them, the vital connection with God has gone, we have put our sympathy, our consideration for them in the way, and this is a deliberate rebuke to God.
    

    It is impossible to intercede vitally unless we are perfectly sure of God, and the greatest dissipater of our relationship to God is personal sympathy and personal prejudice. Identification is the key to intercession, and whenever we stop being identified with God, it is by sympathy, not by sin. It is not likely that sin will interfere with our relationship to God, but sympathy will, sympathy with ourselves or with others which makes us say--"I will not allow that thing to happen." Instantly we are out of vital connection with God.

    Intercession leaves you neither time nor inclination to pray for your own "sad sweet self." The thought of yourself is not kept out, because it is not there to keep out; you are completely and entirely identified with God's interest in other lives.

    Discernment is God's call to intercession, never to fault finding.

- From Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest" - Classic Edition

Highlights and Underlines are courtesy of Mom from her print edition.

My thoughts

Chambers has these words that he uses repeatedly in these devotions. Today's words are sympathy (7) and a form of intercession (6). He makes the point here that we are to be about intercession for others in our prayers and not praying for ourselves because others will take care of this. We can do this because we are sure of God and the way He will work in others to pray for me. And there is this idea that the greatest waste or dissipater of our relationship to God is being too focused on self and personal sympathy.