My mother is 91 and has, for almost forever, been praying. I know she prayed for her three boys and now prays for all her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is really sweet, but can pray mean: “Lord, make them miserable in their sins until they repent and come to you!” I’ve always been miserable when sinning so this is probably a prayer God answered. But I’m certain many good things have come from God answering her prayers. I can’t prove it, but I think that I and some of my boys are alive because of her faithful prayers. I sometimes imagine a dialogue like this with God when Satan has been about to hurt one of my boys who has wandered into sin:
Satan: You can’t stop me. This kid chose to trespass into my territory. He even knew what he was doing was wrong. And you yourself say the penalty of sin is death and this kid isn’t even claiming the blood of your Son as payment.
God: True. This kid has rejected the light and deliberately chosen sin instead of my Son, but you can’t touch him because his grandma is praying—praying way too much for me to let you hurt him. But you can do this; you can make him miserable in his sins.
I believe our intercessory prayers for sinners can give God legal grounds to do what He otherwise will not do. Those who choose sin are also choosing, knowingly or unknowingly, to have Satan as their master. Masters have certain rights over their servants: rights that God honors unless the intercessory prayers of others give Him legal grounds to intervene.
So I believe many of Satan’s plans for my mom’s boys and grandchildren have been thwarted even when we have strayed into the enemy’s territory. And I believe that although God will not violate the free will of my sons, my prayers, and Teckla ‘s prayers, are giving God a free hand to protect and work in the lives of my boys even when they aren’t walking with Him.
