Covenanter Witness Vol. 54 - Rparchives.org

gone."
west."
Intercession For Lost Souls
J. A. Kenoyer
There have been many intercessors. Those best
known are those recorded in the Bible.
Abraham stood yet before the Lord and said,
"Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the
wicked " Moses cried, "If thy presence go not with
me, carry us not up hence." However, God speaks
through the prophet, "I sought for a man among
them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in
the gap before me for the land, that I should not
destroy it: but I found none. Therefore I have poured
out mine indignation upon them."
Paul names the gifts of the spirit, but I fear he
missed the most important. He mentions prophecy
as the greatest. He does not name intercessory pray
er as one of them. Prophecy is important. Paul writes
to the Corinthians, "It pleased God by the foolish
ness of preaching to save them that believe." How
ever, I would ask the question, Of what use is all
this if Jesus had not prayed, "Neither pray I for
these alone, but for them also which shall believe
on me through their word (John 17 :20)
.
What use is it for me to try to preach of God
and righteousness to some soul if some saintly moth
er has not first cried to the Eternal, Oh, my son,
my son. Or a Jeremiah, "Oh that my head were
waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I
might weep day and night for the slain of my
people !"
I believe there is a way of life in the salvation
of a soul that does not appear on the surface of
things (John 17) . Jesus interceded for those afar off.
The Spirit itself makes intercession for us, and
Paul exhorts to intercession in his letter to Timothy.
If we obey, an angel mixes the prayer with incense
and offers it before the throne (Rev. 8). Then God
incites the word of the preacher, driving it into the
sinful heart and a new life begins.
The late J. T. Hoskins told me when I started
into the ministry that he always asked God for a
soul before he went into the pulpit and that God
always supplied a repentant sinner. How wonderful !
Why cannot it happen to me
God is not bound by time or circumstance. He
is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He an
swers prayer. He chooses the times and places. May
be we meet Him in an alfalfa field, in a church, or
behind a rock somewhere in the wilderness. The most
important thing for us to do is to seek Him till we
find Him and intercede there for that lost soul.
This may mean a prayer like Jacob prayed. We
may be a cripple afterward, but we can wait and then
shout the victory and dance for joy with the multi
tudes we have introduced to the eternal God and
His dear Son Jesus.
The late Bishop A. M. Johnson once told a dear
friend about a great meeting where he was preach
ing. Yes, a wonderful meeting, the Spirit was present,
but the dear friend was out in the woods praying for
the preacher.
Oh, how we wish and pray for such contacts
with God that souls would be saved. Only a broken
and contrite heart interceding mightily at a throne
of grace will ever bring the results we so earnestly
desire.
United Brethren
152
The Psalms of the Bible
By Rev. D. T. Lauderdale
In the Bible Songs a part of the lovely
dred and third Psalm runs thus :
As heaven is high above the earth,
So great His mercy proves;
As far from us as east from west
He all our sin removes.
The unspeakable sweetness and preciousness of
these words to every child of God is illustrated in a
recent edition of the Sunday School Times, an inci
dent told by the great Presbyterian evangelist, Wil
bur Chapman.
Immeasurable
one hun
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath
he removed our transgressions from us (Psalm 103 :
12). Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman tells of a university
professor of mathematics who had been ruined by
sin but had found a new life by faith in Christ. This
man was in a Bible class where Dr. Chapman was
telling how God removes sins from us "as far as the
east is from the Turning to the man, he said,
"Professor, this is a mathematical statement. Can
you tell us how far that is" Instinctively the man
reached for his pencil and notebook as if about to
make a calculation. Then suddenly he grasped the
sweep of the statement, and putting away his pencil
and book he said : "Men, you cannot measure it ; the
distance is immeasurable. And, thank God," he added
with great emotion, "that is where my sins have
Said Mr. Chapman, speaking about it later, "I
shall never forget how a kind of electric thrill went
over that crowd of men as he sat down, sobbing as
though his heart would break." That man had caught
the truth that God had dealt with him in measure
less forgiveness. From the Moody Monthly.
Current Events .... Continued from page 147
a veteran of city and state politics, proved that the backing
of the local Democratic organization was more valuable
than the support of newspapers and reformers. Daley's Re
publican opponent will be Robert E. Merriam, a 36-year-old
war veteran and son of a distinguished political scientist.
Merriam has served eight years in the city council, leading
a Democratic reform bloc, but broke with that party last
year. Chicago has seldom had a clearer choice between ma
chine politics and reform, but Daley is conceded the best
chance to win the April 5 election.
GROWING PAINS
Last year there were four million babies born in the
U. S., setting a new record. Our natural increase the excess
of births over deaths
reached the rate of two and a half
million per year, or seven thousand per day. Our population
has passed 164 million, and the Census Bureau predicts
that by 1975 it may be 220 million, far beyond the figure
which used to be considered our absolute maximum. This
trend is a heartening
sign of optimism in face of the un
certainties of our time, and indicates great possibilities for
the future of America. But it also involves great problems.
In spite of a record rate of construction, our houses and
school buildings are not able to keep up with the growth in
population, much less make up for past deficiencies. Each
year 750,000 more Americans are added to our total labor
force,
with the strange result that employment and unem
ployment are both rising. Our growth also represents a ma
jor challenge to the churches, especially in the areas where
the increase has been most rapid.
COVENANTER WITNESS