Must I Pray Poem by Chris Embrick

Must I pray for Africa
Must I pray for India
Must I pray for a stranger
That I've never met
It seems that God
Asks for an intercessor
Someone to stand in the gap
If only to know
Someone, somewhere
Cares for his fellow man.

If no one can be found
If no one wants to pray
Then God knows
That his love is missing
His compassion is absent
Love and concern for a stranger
Shows that the one praying
Has touched the heart of God

Must I pray for America
Must I pray for China
Must I pray for a people
Who will never know
That someone far away
Is standing in the gap
Praying for a need
That only God can answer

God was about to punish Israel
He looked for a man
To stand in the gap
But could not find even one
When God looks on the world today
Will he find someone who prays
Will he find a man or woman
Someone willing to sacrifice
Time for a stranger
Time for Africa
Time for India
Time for America
Time for China
Time for a baby not yet born
Time for those who weep and mourn
May God again never say
I could not find someone to pray.