And God Wondered

B.D. Cummins

And He saw that there was no man and wondered that there was no intercessor…” (Isaiah 59:16)

God wondered! Can you even fathom it? The God Who created the universe, the heavens, sun, moon and stars; and created the earth, the animal kingdom, plant life, and mankind, looked down on His creation and “wondered!”

God Who is Sovereign and Who knows all things, wondered! The Sovereign God Who is never surprised because He knows all things, and He knows “the end from the beginning,” yet looked down in amazement and wondered!

In this portion from Isaiah we have God looking down on the earth during a very dark time in the history of Israel. The sins and iniquities of the people had separated them from God, and He had turned His face from them and would not hear.

The picture must have been very similar to our nation today as God looks down on all our sin and hands that are filled with innocent blood.

Yet, no intercessor!

The things that caused God to wonder was that no one was concerned enough to spend any time in prayer about the terrible plight of the nation!

And if God wondered in that day, what must He be doing in this day that surely must be as bad as that particular time in the history of Israel? Surely, He must “wonder” that there are no intercessors!

Where are those who would spend at least five or ten minutes a day in prayer for their pastor and the church? I know that prayer is not measured by time. I realize that fervency is not measured by noise. But I ask the same question that was asked by the prophet Isaiah as the Lord inspired him to write as God looked down from heaven and was in “amazement” that conditions could persist as they were and so few cared and hardly anyone prayed, and the evil of the world went on as usual!

I believe that all our failures and defeats are prayer failures. I believe that revival does not come because people are not interceding in prayer as we should be. This is the matter that we must set right.

Where are the intercessors? I know people pray. I pray. But where are those who can really touch the throne of God’s grace in the ministry of intercession? Someone must stand in the gap, so that God will not look down and wonder that there was no intercessor!

What will it cost you to be a prayer warrior? It will cost more than most are willing to pay, and that is why there are so few who really pray. 

Salvation is free, it is a gift of God’s grace. But a prayer warrior, I mean a person who lives a veritable life of prayer will pay a price to be that kind of Christian.

There are three essentials to a Christian living a daily, moment by moment, life of prayer.

It will take a knowledge of what God says in His Word about prayer and the promises of God.

It will take complete surrender and submission to Christ and to His will for our lives!

It will cost you separated, holy living!

I mean exactly what the word “holiness” means! I’m not talking about a put on or pretended holiness. I’m not talking about a “holier-than-thou” attitude. I’m not talking about doing things superficially or outwardly that might make you seem to be more holy than someone else in manner of dress, or attitude, or the like. I am talking about a holiness that emanates from the heart, purity of mind, purity of speech, and purity of walk.

DL Moody, who, as a young preacher, heard another preacher say one day, “The world has yet to see what God can do through one man wholly dedicated to Him!” Mr. Moody bowed his head and said, “I’ll be that man!” Let us bow our head and say, “Oh, Lord, within myself I cannot be that man; but Lord, by Your grace I’ll be that man!”

I plead with you to surrender your all to Christ today. Be what He wants you to be—surrendered, dedicated, separated to Him, and from the world-sold out completely to Him!

Then take up the Word of God, believe and begin to live it! Become the prayer warrior, the intercessor, that God wants you to be! Ⅸ