Audrey Pond
In last week’s article, I introduced you to “My Teachers” from the Amazon jungle of Peru who powerfully impacted my life through their example of humble service to the Lord. Forty-five years ago this month I was called to pastor First Baptist Church in Gorman, Texas. The Lord used several people in the Gorman congregation to mold the life of a young servant of the Lord. Audrey Pond taught an older ladies Sunday School class and faithfully attended all the weekly services. But one day I became aware of what was truly her ministry within the church. What I learned from her testimony and on-going example would become the foundation for my own life and ministry.
Our church in Gorman was blessed with a large group of young people and each year they had a Valentine’s banquet. The Banquet was planned for a Saturday evening and the menu was to have Mexican food as the main course. One of the ladies in the congregation had studied in Mexico and had learned to prepare delicious dishes from the Mexican cuisine. She spent nearly the entire afternoon in the church kitchen preparing the food. I was in my office making final preparation for my Sunday morning sermon and could smell the wonderful aromas coming from the kitchen. The temptation was more than I could resist and I made several trips to the kitchen to sample the food that was being prepared. That evening I enjoyed the complete Mexican dinner and went to bed thinking all was well. However, all was not well. About three A. M. I awakened very ill. I had over-indulged in food that was greasier and spicier that that to which I was accustomed. Thankfully, my time of severe nausea passed and could to go back to bed and complete the night’s sleep.
Even though I was somewhat weak, I was able to preach on Sunday morning. During the message, I made a passing comment about what had happened during the night and that I was glad to be able to preach that morning. At the end of the service Audrey approached me and shared something that God would use to give a stronger foundation for my life and ministry. She told me that at precisely three A. M. she had awakened with a strong burden and sense of direction to pray for me. For an extended period, she interceded for me, feeling that I was facing a crisis. Audrey also communicated to me that she faithfully prayed for me every day and that every Sunday morning she interceded for me from five to six A. M. She had followed this practice for many years to pray one hour for her pastor early on Sunday morning before he would stand to preach the Word of God.
Prayer was already an important part of my life, but my encounter with Audrey that day put it in a fuller dimension. Two important things stood out to me from her example. First, intercession was a regular and disciplined part of her life. Second, she expected that her intercessions before the Lord would make a difference. She was very humble in her attitude, but she believed that the Lord was attentive to her prayers and that he would work in the lives of those for whom she prayed. The Lord used what I saw in Audrey’s life to show me that intercession was not to be supplemental for everything else that I did but that it had to be the foundation for everything else.
Beginning with that day intercession became a more important part of my daily devotional praying. But I also began setting aside other regular times for intercession. I made a list of the entire membership and systematically prayed through that list, praying for several of them each day. Forty-five years later I still follow that practice. I pray for those that the Lord has put in my sphere of influence regularly and systematically, along with others that are brought to my attention or that the Holy Spirit places on my heart. I believe this is a way that I can fulfill the counsel that the Apostle Paul gave to the Ephesian elders: “ 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God,[a] which he obtained with his own blood” Acts 20:28 ESV. There is no better way that I can minister to those the Lord has placed under my oversight than to lovingly place them before Him in intercession.
My prayer is that those of those of us who desire to walk closely with the Lord will make intercession a regular and disciplined part of our lives, knowing that the Lord will hear and answer our prayers on behalf of others.