Between the Porch and the Altar: A Call Back to Intercession
“Let the priests, who minister before the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar. Let them say, ‘Spare Your people, O Lord.’” — Joel 2:17
There was a time when the altar was not merely a place where personal petitions were presented before God, but a sacred place where priests carried the burdens of an entire nation. In the book of Joel, God commands the priests to stand “between the porch and the altar” and cry out on behalf of His people.
The porch represented the entrance into the tabernacle, while the altar was the place where sacrifices were offered unto God. The priests stood in the space between the two, carrying the cries, the pain, and the needs of the people into the presence of God. Their assignment was not only to pray for themselves but to intercede for others.
Today, the question remains: Do we still have intercessors in our generation?
The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Jesus Christ is our great High Priest, one who understands our weaknesses and infirmities:
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus does not merely pray for us from a distance; He understands our pain. He carries our burdens. He identifies with our struggles. The challenge before the Church today is whether there are still men and women willing to stand in that same place of compassion and intercession—those who can carry the burdens of others before God.
Many of the prayers rising from our generation are centered around personal needs: financial breakthroughs, family restoration, healing, and open doors. While these requests matter deeply to God, His vision extends beyond our individual lives.
The apostle John writes:
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” (3 John 1:2)
God desires our prosperity and well-being, but His heart also longs for the salvation of nations, cities, and families. Heaven rejoices not merely over earthly blessings but over every soul that turns to Christ.
One of the great missionaries of history, John Hyde, often referred to as “Praying Hyde,” carried such a burden for souls that he cried out, “Give me souls, or I die.” His ministry in India was marked by deep intercession and relentless prayer for the lost.
The Church desperately needs that burden once again.
The first scripture the Lord placed in my heart when I stood to minister publicly was:
“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, until her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.” (Isaiah 62:1)
Isaiah’s cry was not centered on himself. His concern was Zion. His burden was the people of God.
We must ask ourselves difficult questions: What occupies our prayers? Have we become so consumed with our own lives that we no longer hear the cries of those around us? Are our prayers focused only on our needs, or do they extend to the needs of the Kingdom?
Recently, I came across a ministry report from a Bible application that revealed that only one percent of its users actively support the ministry financially. As I reflected on our own ministry, I realized that a similar pattern exists. Thousands of people have accessed our website, submitted dreams, and benefited from the resources God has entrusted to us, yet only a small percentage give, support, or even remember the ministry in prayer.
Perhaps this is not unique to one ministry. Perhaps it is a reflection of a larger challenge within the modern Church: many desire to receive, but few carry the burden to build.
Kingdom-minded believers do not merely ask, “What can God do for me?” They also ask, “What part can I play in advancing His work?”
The apostle Paul writes:
“For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.” (Romans 8:19)
Creation itself is waiting. Entire communities are waiting. Families are waiting. Nations are waiting for believers who will rise and take their place on the altar.
Jesus Himself demonstrated this burden. Standing before the tomb of Lazarus, He saw the grief of those around Him and wept.
“Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
He carried the pain of others. He entered into their sorrow.
As the Church, we are being called back to that place of prayer—not merely praying for our own desires but standing in the gap for souls, for pastors, for ministries, for communities, and for the advancement of the Gospel.
Today, as we gather for prayer and fasting, let our focus shift. We have prayed for our individual needs. We have prayed for our families and our desires. But now, let us return to the altar with a different cry: a cry for souls.
Let us pray for those in our neighborhoods who do not know Christ. Let us pray for the ministries around us. Let us pray for pastors, evangelists, and missionaries carrying the burden of the Gospel. Let us become people who stand between the porch and the altar once again.
And as we pray, let us also examine our hearts. Have we asked what needs we can meet within the ministries that have nourished us? Have we considered how we might support the work of God through our giving, our service, and our prayers?
The Kingdom advances not only through preaching but through the faithful partnership of believers who understand that the work of God belongs to all of us.
The time has come to become kingdom-minded—to learn, like Christ, to weep with those who weep and to carry the burdens of others before God.
May God raise a generation of intercessors once again.
Prayer Points
Pray that God would restore the spirit of intercession in the Church and raise men and women who will stand between the porch and the altar.
Pray for the salvation of souls in your family, workplace, community, and nation.
Pray for pastors, evangelists, missionaries, and ministries that are laboring to spread the Gospel.
Pray that God would give you a burden for the lost and help you to carry the needs of others in prayer.
Pray for the grace to become kingdom-minded and to prioritize the work of God above personal desires.
Pray that God would reveal practical ways in which you can support His work through your prayers, service, and giving.
Pray that the Church would once again cry for revival and for the manifestation of the sons and daughters of God.
Ask God to help you become sensitive to the burdens of those around you and to intercede faithfully for them.
Pray that God would strengthen ministries that have been a blessing to your life and provide every resource needed for the advancement of His Kingdom.
Pray that, like Isaiah, your heart would continually declare: “For Zion’s sake, I will not keep silent.”
