The Intercessor's Heart

The call of an intercessor is not exactly glamorous. Seriously, there is no self-glory whatsoever involved. I mean, being a missionary to the long lost tribes of Indonesia isn't exactly glamorous either, but it definitely has its glory appeal. Whhat Christian doesn't like a story of the heroic missionary who goes in against all odds and leads and entire people group to Jesus? But, intercession? Nada.
You see, as an intercessor, you spend all this time, energy, and emotion praying for people or nations who have absolutely no idea--and never will have an idea--that you did. You may even come to care deeply for people who may never even know you exist. That's the crazy thing about intercession. Sometimes you spend all this time in prayer for people you don't even know and who definitely don't know you. What's even crazier is when the Holy Spirit reveals things to you about these people that you couldn't possibly know or give you a picture of His heart for them and a glimpse of their calling. And your job is to pray. And you may never ever see the effects of your prayers. Yet, still, you pray.
Awhile ago, God asked me if I was willing ot take up the mantle of intercessor. "It's hard." He said, "There's no glory and no glamour involved. It will hurt. Your heart will break and those for whom it breaks will never know. You will learn things about people that no one else knows and you'll cry for those you've never met. If you accept, you will know my heart for people and come to love them as I love them. You may never see how your prayers effected them. But they will. Are you willing?"
For a long time, I was silent, pondering. I pondered the prospect of pain. I don't like pain. I pondered how no one would see. I like being noticed. I pondered how I would get nothing in return. I want compensation. As I pondered, I thought about how foolish it was for God to ask me to do something like that. "Really? He thought I'd say, "yes"?" The words I heard running through my brain were not exactly laced with surrender, "Why, sure, God! That sounds like my idea of a good time! Heart breaking for people I don't know. Swell."
I kept pondering. And then my ponderings led me down another path. I pondered the people who no one ever prayed for. The people no one saw or cared about. In my heart, I heard the words of Ezekiel the prophet.
"I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none." Ezekiel 22:30
And suddenly, I knew. I couldn't say, "no." These people may never know that I prayed, but that didn't matter. What matters is that I prayed. All of a sudden, I felt this earnestress rise up inside of me, this passion for those whom no one else would pray for.
"Yes." I said, scarcely believing the words coming out of my mouth, "I'll take it. I'll take the mantle of intercessor."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. I'm sure."