p. 675 | Christ Praying For Us by Ida Hinman

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 13, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 43.

Christ Praying For Us.

By Ida Hinman

"Yes; but, my dear child, the blessed Saviour has prayed for you a great deal more than I ever shall."

These words were the response of Bishop Simpson, on one occasion, to a young lady, who came to him in much distress of mind, and asked him to pray for her. Is there not in the bishop's words a truth for every human being? What earthly friend has prayed for us as has the blessed Saviour? He ever liveth to make intercession for us. He is our constant advocate at the throne of God. If any one is so alone in this world as to have no earthly friend to send up a petition to Heaven for him, yet need he not feel forsaken, for here is a friend who without intermission makes intercession for him. It is well if we have earthly friends who can pray for us; but what are the combined prayers of all earthly friends, the greatest and the best, when compared with the constant pleadings of our Lord.

We must not forget our Lord's relationship to ourselves. Though God's Son, he is our brother. Thus he is the connecting link between God and humanity, the mean without which these two extremes would not be brought together. Were it not for him, there would be no intercourse between the Almighty and us. Notice, also, how entirely Christ belongs to his brethren in this world. Whatever else in Heaven does or does not belong to us, Christ certainly does. It seems as if his existence was just for us. His life in Heaven now is for us, as was his life in this world. When it was necessary for our salvation for him to leave Heaven, he did so. For us he bore the separation from his Father's face and from the heavenly glory, exchanged the associations of the pure and the holy for a life among the unholy and the impure, never flinching from those associations which must have been most repellent to his infinitely pure nature. We do not know the mystery of his existence amongst us; but we know that he gave up much—infinitely much—for our sakes, and that only eternity will be able to tell the wonders of that self-sacrificing love, which, being in the form of God, thought not that high condition a thing to be grasped, but gave it all up freely for us.

Think what it would be for those of us who have been reared in refined Christian homes, accustomed to the society of the cultured and to those luxuries which wealth bestows, to leave it all for a life of toil and poverty, not knowing where to lay one's head, and for associations the most degrading, with people of low life and low morals. This would be a contrast to present life, but not so great a contrast as that which the change from Heaven to earth was, for our Saviour. Yet he endured it all for our sakes. He lived thirty-three years in this world, subject to the same laws and temptations as we, and that for our example; then he died for us, that God might pardon us; and for us he ascended into Heaven and ever liveth. Why? Oh, wondrous thought! he liveth to make intercession for us. Even the glory of Heaven cannot take his attention from this world. When his earthly work for us was finished, his heavenly work, that of prayer for us, began.—Ida Hinman.