Caring enough to Pray

Read Isaiah 60:1–66:24

⁶O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord. ⁷Give the Lord no rest until he completes his work, until he makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth. ⁸The Lord has sworn to Jerusalem by his own strength: “I will never again hand you over to your enemies. Never again will foreign warriors come and take away your grain and new wine. ⁹You raised the grain, and you will eat it, praising the Lord. Within the courtyards of the Temple, you yourselves will drink the wine you have pressed.” ¹⁰Go out through the gates! Prepare the highway for my people to return! Smooth out the road; pull out the boulders; raise aflag for all the nations to see. ¹¹TheLord has sent this message to everyland: “Tell the people of Israel, ‘Look, your Savior is coming.’”Isaiah 62:6-11

Hardly anything happens to shoreline rocks each time a wave rolls in. The water is no match for the stone. Indeed, if you were to come back day after day to watch, you would see no change: waves pound, rocks win. Yet the waves are making an impact, and over a very long time, you would be able to see the cumulative effect. The rocks will wear down.

Like a relentless surf, Isaiah has spoken to his people time and time again. He has warned them about their need to change, and they, rocklike, have not responded—so far. Isaiah has no guarantee that they will ever respond in his lifetime. He certainly hasn’t seen any change. So he faithfully gets on his knees. As you read this passage, learn from Isaiah’s example.

When we warn or counsel others, sometimes they don’t listen. Sometimes we can see their painful consequences, but they refuse to see the danger. After we’ve offered our warnings, our advice, and our pleas, we still have one potent option—prayer. That’s why Jesus taught his followers to pray, “May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

You cannot control others who are about to make a foolish choice or when they’re toying with a temptation that could bring painful consequences, but you can pray for them. Keep praying persistently for the people you love.

(Source: TOYTTB)