‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,
And the very ends of the earth as Your possession. (Psalms 2:8 NASB).

God the Father asked His only son to petition Him for the nations of the world.  After the resurrection of Christ, He goes to the right hand of the Father and assumes the ministry of a mediator and rules the universe through intercession.

Although Christ is a sovereign ruler, He does not just declare things done.  In Matthew 28:15 NASB, Jesus tells his disciples that all power has been given to Him, but chooses to complete this Great Commission with our participation.  Knowing man’s track record, I am not sure if I would have done this way, but then again, that is why I am not God.

Matthew Henry once said, “Christ’s throne is set in the church, that is in the hearts of all believers.”  As His seat, if power rests in our hearts, it becomes imperative that He wins our allegiance and not usurp it.  Being, not just a powerful, but a loving king, He rules through persuasion and not by force.  Therefore, it becomes necessary to give his loyal subjects the freedom to obey Him or not.  Christ, through intercession, is accomplishing the sovereign will of the Father and yet, not infringing upon the free will of His followers.  King Jesus bids your presence in His throne-room.  Will we bend our knee to his royal decree, “go into all the world,” and will we say, here am I, send me?  The question is not if Christ will complete the task, but whether you and I will share in the joy of that process, and rule and reign with Him.

I worked for seventeen years as a missionary with Youth With A Mission.  My missionary work has taken me to Mexico, Canada, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia, Spain, and Ukraine.  I hold a Masters of Education in curriculum and instruction from Virginia Commonwealth University.  [email protected]