08/05/2021
As Christians, who do we speak for in times of trouble and temptation, and who speaks for us? Is there someone in our lives we can turn to for intercession? Is there not one righteous soul who will place his hand upon us, and intercede in prayer when we are in a bad way? Think on this today; who do you turn to in such times, and are you steady enough in your prayers and faith that others would consider turning to you?
“He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.”
Isaiah 59:16 ESV
In today’s world so many people look for someone else to take the reins, and to save them. We often turn to parents, neighbors, church members, unrighteous activities, the welfare system, thousands of other crutches, and sometimes, as a last resort, we might turn to the divine for His help through life. In this way we become so dependent on others to provide for us that we forget we have two legs on which we are meant to stand. These are the people who won’t do the hard work of faith, and righteousness. God forbid that this describes you, or me, and that when God’s people are suffering, and He needs an intercessor we aren’t simply counted among the lost.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”
2 Timothy 2:15 ESV
God looks for intercessors when dealing with the world and those in it. Jesus is the ultimate of these, but we too are meant to become the glove on God’s hand as He reaches into the messy troubles of the world. How many times have we been placed in a situation in which we could have helped someone, or led them to Christ… and walked right by without doing anything? How many times have we been asked to pray, and then, after a quick few words, dropped the ball? Intercessors are meant to be world changers. Some change the tiny world of a single individual, while others, like Joseph, change countries, Martin Luther changed a church, those like Moses, change an entire people, and Jesus changed the whole world, but each and every intercessor, larger or small, is an agent of change in some way. Listen to how intercessory prayer by a church helped Peter…
“So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.””
Acts 12:5, 11 ESV
We are all meant to intercede, and it often happens without notice… Mother’s praying for their children, husbands for their wives, churches for their pastors, a teacher for a student, a patient who prays for his doctor… we intercede often, but most times we don’t call our efforts intercession… just another one of our many daily prayers. Yet, when we come to realize that we have prayed in intercession then we can begin to build upon that gift, and our faith will take on a new dimension. Suddenly such prayers become more frequent, and our acts of both spiritual and physical intercession begin to blossom, and bear fruit. People start to see us as an agent of change in their lives, and others will come to us when in need of prayer, or intercession with God. Interestingly enough, God will begin to use us too when He needs an intercessor among men…. Abraham, Noah, Moses, Sampson… well, you see them all as intercessors now.
“And the Lord said to Moses, “This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.””
Exodus 33:17 ESV
So, will God know our name when He looks for an intercessor? Will the guy in the office next to ours, or the lady across the street, know our name when they are struggling at home, and need a prayer? And, whose name comes to our minds when we are hurting, or need to kneel with someone before God? Who is the righteous soul we can turn to?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the intercessors in my life, and for allowing me to be at the ready when someone else is looking for one righteous person to pray for them. Thank you for your Son Jesus who intercedes for us, and teaches us to be like Him as we go through life. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who uses men and women as your intercessors in the world. Praised be your name for each time we are called upon to intercede, and that we receive a blessing after saying “Here am I Lord!” Help us Jesus, and wash us clean with your blood so that on our day of judgement you will know our names, and stand with us before the Father… interceding on our behalf.
Rich Forbes