The following is an excerpt from our daily devotional series Pray Like an Intercessor!

This mighty prophet was actually a living answer to his mother’s intercession. His first encounter with the Lord came when he was only a child. While the priest Eli was sleeping, the lamp in the Tabernacle was going out, something that was not supposed to happen. God calls to Samuel and reveals that He will bring judgment on Eli and his house for corrupting the priesthood. Young Samuel could have been afraid, but he told Eli everything the Lord had said. This courage and honesty at a tender age was a quality that was needed. God would raise Samuel as a mighty prophet in word and deed, but Samuel was also an intercessor. We find him seeking God’s deliverance from the Amalekites. He intercedes for the nation after the people rebelled by rejecting God and demanding a human king (see 1 Samuel 8:6–8).

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The Lord even answered Samuel’s prayers more than once with thunder and rain. We see Samuel interceding when King Saul disobeys the Lord, who then decides to anoint a new king. Samuel’s continual intercession proved that though the people were rebellious, he still cared for them. Because he loved them, he continued interceding and seeking God’s restoration. We can learn a thing or two from Samuel.

When the Philistines heard that Israel had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard of it, they were afraid because of the Philistines. They said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines.” Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him (1 Samuel 7:7–9 NIV).

Lord, forgive us as intercessors for our lack of love. We love this nation and long to see it delivered not just from our physical enemies, but even from the spiritual enemies called apathy, complacency, and compromise. We want America to be restored to the destiny You had in mind when it was birthed. This nation has a purpose, but we’ve lost our way. Like the Israelites, we’ve sinned as a nation — looking elsewhere for deliverance, even though You alone are the Lord, King of kings. Like Saul, our leaders have sinned against You time and again. Move us with compassion so that we might mourn over how our leaders have betrayed You. Take our extreme anger and give us love, so that we may be steadfast in prayer. Align our hearts and minds so that our intercession will be precise for America and its leaders. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Read 1 Samuel 8 and ask the Lord to speak to you.

Intercessors are moved by love. It was love for God’s people that kept Samuel praying for them. Samuel’s persistence to pray, even in the face of all the trouble the Israelites brought on themselves, and his deep mourning for King Saul are evidence. Our prayers for America and our leaders must be motivated by love, or else we are nothing more than clanging cymbals or noisy gongs. We may be speaking many words, but are we saying anything? Remember: Of faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love, because God is love.

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IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share. Photo Credit: Olivia Snow on Unsplash.