Intercession
Intercessory prayer
Intercession: pleading or praying on behalf of another.
There are those who believe prayer is ineffectual since God already knows the outcome of everything. However, He tells us to pray for one another. That alone should be enough charge to “pray without ceasing” for our brothers and sisters. Prayer is not ineffectual because God always wants us to be involved in our relationship with Him. We are not to be motionless and lukewarm.
But are there times when someone begins to step away from the Lord that we can intercede for them before the Lord? If so, then are we willing to take that on ourselves for their sakes? Do we fully understand what praying an intercessory prayer means?
Let it be our goal to study God’s Word in order to better understand this privilege we have and try to apply it in our lives.
In order for us to comprehend this idea of interceding for one another, we must first look to our example in all matters - our Lord Yeshua/Jesus.
“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those
who come to God through Him, since He always lives
to make intercession for them.”
Hebrews 7:25
“Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and
He shall divide the spoil with the strong. Because He poured out
His soul unto death, and He was numbered among the
transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made
intercession for the transgressors.”
Isaiah 53:12
Jesus said to Peter,
“But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail;
and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Luke 22:32
“Then Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know
what they do.’ And they divided His garments and cast lots.”
Luke 23:34
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper,
that He may abide with you forever - “
John 14:16
“I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those
whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.”
John 17:9
Notice that Yeshua does not pray for the world because it is carnal
and enmity against God (Romans 8:5-7)
“Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore
is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes
intercession for us.”
Romans 8:34
We see throughout Scripture examples of people praying to the Lord for the sake of others - and the Lord listened. He cares about whether or not we care enough to approach Him in humbleness, seeking the good of others by interceding for them.
Abraham pleading with the Lord for the lives of those living in the city of Sodom.
“Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city [Sodom];
would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the
fifty righteous that were in it?”
Genesis 18:24
“Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and said, ‘I have
sinned against the LORD your God and against you.
Now therefore, please forgive my sin only this once, and entreat
the LORD your God, that He may take away from me this death only.’
So he went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD.”
Exodus 10:18
“And the LORD said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and indeed
it is a stiff - necked people! Now therefore, let Me alone, that My
wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I
will make of you a great nation.’
Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God,…
So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would
do to His people.”
Exodus 32:9-11, 14
Notice it says that the LORD was his (Moses') God. When we
approach the Lord for the sake of those who are lost, He hears
our prayers because His desire is that ALL would be saved
(1 Timothy 2:4).
“So Moses cried out to the LORD, saying,
‘Please heal her, O God, I pray!’”
Numbers 12:13
“Therefore I prayed to the LORD and said: ‘O Lord GOD, do not
destroy Your people and Your inheritance whom You have redeemed
through Your greatness, whom You have brought out of Egypt with a
mighty hand.’”
Deuteronomy 9:26
“And Samuel said, ‘Gather all Israel to Mizpah, and I will pray
to the LORD for you.’”
1 Samuel 7:5
“Then the king answered and said to the man of God, ‘Please entreat
the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may
be restored to me.’ So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the
king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before.”
1 Kings 13:6
“and David said to God, ‘Was it not I who commanded the people to
be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed;
but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O
LORD my God, be against me and my father’s house, but not against
Your people that they should be plagued.’”
1 Chronicles 21:17
“For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh,
Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the
Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them,
saying, ‘May the good LORD provide atonement for everyone who
prepares his heart to seek God, the LORD God of his fathers, though
he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.
And the LORD listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.”
2 Chronicles 30:18-20
We can pray for those who: - are in the midst of their sin, unable to
see God clearly
- are lost
- are ignorant of what they are doing
- need strengthened by the Lord
- are in need of cleansing from
the Living Water
We can fast and pray for those who may be stumbling with a bad decision to walk away from the Lord, but it is ultimately His Will that will be done in that person’s life.
God is not sweet talked by us into changing His mind. His will is already done before we even know what’s going on. It’s simply the fact that our faith needs to be put into action and that we must step up to the plate for people at times because that’s exactly what Jesus does for us. He intercedes for us when we need Him the most, so too we should do the same for others who need that prayer.
It’s okay if sometimes you don’t know what to pray, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in that way as well.
“Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not
know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself
makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Romans 8:26
“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest
who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
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.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:14-16
