Prayer (Intercession)

If Satan fume and roar against you, whether it be against your bodies by persecution, or inward in your conscience by a spiritual battle, do not be discouraged, as though you were less acceptable in God’s presence, or that Satan might at any time prevail against you. No! Your temptations and storms that arise so suddenly argue and witness that the seed that is sown has fallen on good ground, has begun to take root, and shall, by God’s grace, bring forth fruit abundantly in due season and convenient time. That is what Satan fears; and therefore thus he rages (and shall rage) against you, thinking that if he can repulse you now suddenly in the beginning, that then you will be at all times an easy prey, never able to resist his assaults. But as my hope is good, so shall my prayer be, that you may be so strengthened, that the world and Satan himself may understand and perceive, that God fights your battle.

But you also pray unceasingly on behalf of others, for there is in them a hope of repentance that they may find God. Therefore allow them at least by your deeds, to be disciples. In response to their anger, your gentleness; in response to their arrogant rhetoric, your humility; in response to their abusive speech, your prayer, in response to their deception, your steadfast faithfulness; in response to their violence, your gentleness; not being eager to imitate them. Let us be found to be by gentleness their brothers and sisters, and let us be eager to be imitators of the Lord.

There are sacred hours of the soul, in which we enter the presence-chamber of the Most High and gain some view of the infinite beauty of holiness, the infinite sacrifice of Christ, the infinite value of the soul, the infinite sorrow of banishment from God; and then we long, with a mighty longing, that salvation might come from God to the lost and perishing. And in those deepest moments speech fails, yet the Spirit prays.