Gen 25:21, And Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. 
	We are in the midst of a series of messages concerning intercessory prayer and its vital reality in the lives of Christians, individually and corporately. It is because of the fact that Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife that we are now so involved in this study. The last few Sundays were spent in consideration of the Apostle Paul’s’ encouragement to intercessory prayer as delineated in the letter to the Ephesian Church. 
This morning, we will take a deeper look at the duty of intercession for others, particularly for our leaders before the throne of God’s grace. We will also begin to look at Daniel with regard to his pattern of intercessory prayer for the sake of God’s testimony in His Chosen People. 
	The Apostle Paul, once again, directs us, corporately and individually, to intercessory prayer on behalf of all our leaders on this earth. 1 Tim 2:1+2, First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 
	G. Noel, in The Biblical Illustrator, gives a rather concise discussion of what this means for the Christian in this world, under the Hand of God in a governmental system of law and order. It is appropriate, as this is an election year, to look at the very heart of why we are to pray for our leaders in authority over us as instructed by this command of the Lord. 
	Quote, Intercessory prayer is here stated to be a duty; for when the apostle says "I exhort," he speaks by Divine command. If we recognize the authority of revelation, we must admit the act of intercession for others to be an act in precise conformity with the revealed will of God. But there are two results of the most beneficial kind which necessarily arise from intercessory prayer.
1. In every case in which we implore God on behalf of others, we recognize Him as the source of power, authority, mercy and grace. The address we make to Him implies our conviction that He is the Preserver and the Benefactor from whom all succour is derived.
2. But prayer forgathers is, besides this, an act of charity. We cannot voluntarily exercise this duty but in the spirit of charity. Prayer for others implies, by its very act, our participation in their wants, our sympathy in their sorrows, our general interest in their welfare. End quote. (from The Biblical Illustrator Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 Ages Software, Inc. and Biblesoft, Inc.)
As God is the source of all power and authority, our prayers for our leaders are fully based on our submission to His plan and His purpose in those whom He has put over us. In this light, because we must pray for our leaders, we take them into our hearts with the prayer that they will know all the fullness of God in the positions they occupy under His Sovereignty. 
G. Noel continues as follows, quote: …There are two ways in which public prayer may be supposed to be the direct channel of benefit to the community.
1. In the first place, there is nothing which so tends to allay irritation, to excite compassion, to restrain envy and revenge, to calm the turbulent passions of every kind, as social prayer. Were large bodies of men honestly and frequently united in prayer to God for a blessing upon the community; were they to connect earthly government with God's kind purposes to the world of social order and of mutual good will, these united prayers would be found to be the strongest cement of the various parts of the social fabric, by bringing out before the minds of all the highest and the noblest motives by which intelligent beings, …can be influenced. Imagine the rich unfeignedly imploring God's blessing upon the poor -- and where could be found room for the exercise of injustice and oppression? Imagine the poor praying for the rich -- and where would be found room for the exercise of envy, of violence, of revenge, and of robbery? Imagine the rich praying for the rich -- and where would be room for the display of rivalry, contention, and selfish ambition? Imagine the poor praying for the poor -- how much kindness and mutual affection would be immediately drawn out into active operation! Imagine those in authority imploring God for a blessing on every measure they undertake, and upon all their national policy -- and where would be any scope for individual and selfish aggrandizement? where would be any disunion of the interests of the ruler and the ruled? Or imagine the minds of the community united in prayer for those whom God has set over them -- and where would be the wish for riot, for outrage, for insubordination, or violence?
2. But a second method in which prayer will powerfully act upon a nation is through the direct blessings which God, the righteous and the Almighty Governor, will certainly bestow. It is evident that God designs to bestow these blessings through this very channel. How easily can He send healthful seasons and external peace! How easily can He enlighten the minds, and prompt the measures of those by whom the affairs of the State are administered! End Quote. (from The Biblical Illustrator Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006 Ages Software, Inc. and Biblesoft, Inc.)
Think about how different would be our lives if we were to earnestly gather together and pray with fervor and with dedication for each other and for our leaders! There would be no room for jealousy or envy or strife or selfishness or any other type of foolishness. We would be finding that our entire focus of being would be directed toward the betterment of others in the sacrifice of our time and energy and desire for their complete blessing and uplifting by the Lord.  
We would know the truth and reality of 2 Chron 7:13+14, under the direct administration of the Hand of God on our lives and the life of our country. If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 
Please note that God does not declare that the nation must humble itself and pray. This is where we often get so caught up in the social ills of this land and feel that we have to fix everything. God does not expect this from us. 
Of course, as He directs our attention to those in need, we do respond and we do all that we can to be of service. But, the sad fact is that we cannot legislate morality on a society that is daily dying in the throes of sin and corruption. We cannot impose our ethical understanding of right and wrong upon a nation in which the only right is that of the individual to do as he or she chooses. 
This was tried early in the history of this nation as communities effected legislation to make everyone abide by Godly principles. This is an absolutely splendid ideal, but of little practical use when the community is inhabited by many who neither care for nor ascribe to such moral judgments and Biblical principles. The sad course of such illustrious endeavors was the antithesis result of rapid revolt and decay and the embrace of anything that was unholy and despicable and seemingly socially unacceptable. 
It is the Church, the Body of Christ, to whom God is addressing the fact that we have to humble ourselves before Him and pray for our nation in order for it to be healed. We dare not try to make others bend to this command. Rather, we need to place ourselves on our knees in prostrate and abject meekness and humility before God. We need to seek His face. That means to earnestly and ceaselessly and with all dedication look to Him and His way in the manner in which we interact with all those in our lives for His name’s sake.
As we consider our leaders and all those in authority over us, do we regard them with scorn and with hearts and minds and tongues that serve to complain and to seek their downfall? Do we make them the butt of jokes and harsh and relentless rumors and even rejoice when one gets thrown out of office? Are we so caught up in the political intrigue and debates and drama that we fail to recognize that we are judgmental and delighting in the iniquity of our own pleasure at their expense? We need to pray that the Lord will have His way in the manner in which we deal with all those in positions of power in our lives since it is God Who places them there for His plan and His purpose.     
In line with this truth, let us consider the problems that faced God’s own people after God brought forth the nations that would rule over them in their captivity. This was nothing other than the Lord bringing in those heathen nations that would carry forth His plan and purpose in the lives of those Israelites who would humble themselves and seek Him.
Please turn to Dan 9:13-19, as we read together the prayer upon Daniel’s heart for the sake of the Chosen People of Israel. Dan 9:13-19, "As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Thy truth. "Therefore, the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice. "And now, O Lord our God, who hast brought Thy people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and hast made a name for Thyself, as it is this day —  we have sinned, we have been wicked. "O Lord, in accordance with all Thy righteous acts, let now Thine anger and Thy wrath turn away from Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people have become a reproach to all those around us. "So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Thy servant and to his supplications, and for Thy sake, O Lord, let Thy face shine on Thy desolate sanctuary. "O my God, incline Thine ear and hear! Open Thine eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Thy name; for we are not presenting our supplications before Thee on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Thy great compassion. "O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Thine own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Thy city and Thy people are called by Thy name." Amen!
	Warren Wiersbe describes Daniel in the manner in which we each should be in earnest intercessory prayer before God. In the case of Daniel, he very much lifted up His nation before the Lord as we will see. We will begin with the fact that, quote, Daniel is a wonderful example of balance in the spiritual life, for he devoted himself to both the Word of God and prayer (Acts 6:4 "But we will devote ourselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word). Some believers are so wrapped up in prophetic studies that they have little concern for the practical outworking of God's will. All they want to do is satisfy their curiosity and then proudly share their "insights" with others. When Daniel learned God's truth, the experience humbled him and moved him to worship and to pray. 
… You don't have to read very far in the Book of Daniel before you discover that he was a man of prayer. Daniel and his three friends sought the face of God when Nebuchadnezzar threatened to slay all the magicians and counselors (…). It was Daniel's habit to pray to the Lord three times each day (…), a practice he continued even when it was illegal to pray to anyone except the king. When God showed Daniel visions of future events, the prophet wasn't satisfied until he had asked for an explanation… Prayer was a vital part of Daniel's life.
Daniel prepared himself to pray, because he knew that his prayer would affect the future of the Jewish nation and the lives of the Jewish captives in Babylon. It would be his holy task to confess the sins of the Jewish nation, asking God to forgive His people and receive them back again. He humbled himself in sackcloth and ashes: …and he directed his heart and mind to the Lord. Preparation for prayer and worship is as important as prayer itself, for without a heart that is right with God, our prayers are just so many pious words. Daniel met the conditions for answered prayer set forth in Lev 26:40-45.  End Quote. (from The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.)  
Please turn to Lev 26:40-45 in your Bibles. Lev 26:40-45, 'If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me —  I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies —  or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land. 'For the land shall be abandoned by them, and shall make up for its sabbaths while it is made desolate without them. They, meanwhile, shall be making amends for their iniquity, because they rejected My ordinances and their soul abhorred My statutes. 'Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them, nor will I so abhor them as to destroy them, breaking My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. 'But I will remember for them the covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God. I am the Lord… Amen.
Daniel was a man prepared to offer up his prayer and worship in all humbleness and contriteness and repentance before the Lord on behalf of his people. He did not just audaciously begin to speak to the Lord, laying out his complaints and his observations. Daniel prepared himself to come into the presence of God with dedication and with reverence and with consistency and with direction in the study and reading of God’s Word. His heart was circumcised unto the Lord and filled with all that would honor and bless and declare God’s holiness and majesty. Such should be our hearts and minds and souls each time we so humbly and contritely bring our prayers before the throne of God’s grace.  
Next week, Lord willing, we will continue with how we are to be prepared and willing to intercede for the sake of others, and specifically for our nation and our leaders. Let us prepare ourselves, as did Daniel, to so come into the presence of God, united of heart and humble in spirit with a desire to pray in accordance to His will. So be it!
And Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord answered him and Rebekah his wife conceived. Amen.
This morning’s benediction is Rom 12:1+2. I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Amen.