‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: In those days ten men from nations of every language shall take hold of a Jew, grasping his garment and saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you” (Zech 8:23)
It is unfortunate that the people of God do not realize their true value. We know our glory only when non-Christians around us tell about it. In other words, God gives them the grace to appreciate the glory of His people and the power of their prayer. They know that ours is a ‘great nation having a god so near to us whenever we call to him’ (Deut 4:7). It is the duty of these chosen people to pray for others too. Also God has given many non-Christians an open heart to approach their Christian brothers and sisters whenever they are in need of prayer.
Today Christians are scattered around the world and wherever they are placed, they are called to be the salt of the earth. Do we truly understand how important a mission is entrusted to us? God has commissioned us with the duty to intercede for others. There are many; those who do not know God, those who though know God, find it impossible to pray, those with darkened understanding, apostates, and followers of false gods and false doctrines who need our prayer. They come to us when all other options are closed. Approaching a believer for a solution to their problems is their last resort. Because they have ‘heard that God is with us.’
But what is the proof that God is with us? ’These are the things you shall do; Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath, for all these are things that I hate, says the Lord’ (Zech 8:16-17). It is then that ‘many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the Lord’ ( Zech 8:22).
Many will come to seek us when we start obeying the commandments and live in peace and faith. They will emulate our life and come to know about the Lord through us.
There are thousands and thousands of non-Christians who are convinced of the efficacy of prayers rising from the lips of a Christian. But how do they come to know that a Christian praying for them would bring them good results? Peter, the first Pope wrote: ‘And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us’ (Acts 15: 8-9).
To bring ‘people from east and west, from north and south, who will eat in the kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit ‘blows where it chooses’ ( Jn 3:8). Let us thank God for ‘pouring out the Spirit on all flesh’ (Joel 2:28) in these days and take up the call to pray for our brothers and sisters ‘who do not know how to pray as they ought’ (Rom 8:26), for it is pleasing to the Lord.
