03/30/2023
Are we making intercession for others? Do we even know how to pray in such a manner? I worry about this often as I watch us attempt to pray for one another. Are our hearts in worship as we lift up prayers for those in need? Is there anyone even attempting such prayer? There have been times throughout biblical history when there has been no true intercession. One of them is recorded in Isaiah, and we can read it in these words...
“And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.”
Isaiah 59:16 KJV
What do we do when we find ourselves in a church or a situation that has no intercessor? What if we search and there is no one to intercede for us? This has happened in the Bible as well, and as a matter of fact, God Himself has searched for one and couldn't find anyone...
“And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”
Ezekiel 22:30 KJV
To be an intercessor requires empathy. The person who intercedes must take on the sins, pain, and heartache of whoever needs to be prayed for in order to be able to pray in earnest for them, in order to represent them in all of their need and remorse before God. Does this sound familiar? It should, because this is describing the character of Jesus. It takes its toll on us, and we feel some of what Christ felt in the Garden of Gethsemane... we too weep, we too feel the suffering of those we intercede for, and it can be overwhelming.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
John 14:6 KJV
And...
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”
1 Timothy 2:5-6 KJV
Then...
“And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”
Luke 22:44 KJV
Jesus is the mediator, the great intercessor, but He instructs us to pray for others as well, and in His name. We hear this in several places in the Bible. One of the most direct requests for intercession comes in 1 Timothy...
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”
1 Timothy 2:1-2 KJV
The intercessor must also worship as he prays. This prayer isn't about demanding God to do something, it is more akin to begging... the heart of the intercessor is humble if nothing else. He prays in supplication and asks God to have mercy, his prayer comes from that place within him where the infant root of hope resides and only God can touch.
God hears our prayers, and He hears us when we ask Him to heal someone, but those are often words of the intellect; intercession carries this much further... it brings the request from the very cradle of faith within those gifted with intercession, and comes in the Spirit as words are given. The intercessor joins with the Holy Spirit in worship and prayer... it is a moment of high worship.
I have served on an intercessory prayer team at a church I attended. We met every Monday evening to pray for all those who came, for our church, country, and the needs of the world. Many times I would go home at the end of the night feeling spent, but on other nights I was exhilarated. Every Monday was different, except for the fact that I knew we had met the Holy Spirit and humbled ourselves before God. Miracles happened; sometimes exactly as we had prayed, but often in surprising fashion... yet always as God's will was served.
If you find yourself in need, and without intercession in your church, then always know that Jesus is the great intercessor and when prayed to He will make intercession for you. You can also seek out those with this gift in other believers and surrounding churches. It doesn't mean that you need to change churches... just find the prayer where the gift resides. We go to the hospital when we are sick, and then we return home... finding intercession is much the same thing. Or perhaps, you have this gift and can serve your church and others in such fashion. Intercession is a necessity in our spiritual lives... even for saints.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for your Son Jesus who makes intercession for me before you. I thank you for your Holy Spirit that teaches me to pray and leads me in prayer for others. Lord, strengthen me in body, mind, spirit, and soul as I use Jesus as my model in prayer. Give me the heart of an intercessor and give me the ability to bear the wounds of those I pray for. Holy Father I humble myself before you and weep with the remorse and pain of those who’s plight I lift up to you. Lead me Holy Spirit in my prayer for all who are suffering; let me feel their overwhelming need so that I can bring it before You. I pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ who suffered for all men, and intercedes now for the world. Let my prayers likewise bring your comfort to the needy, and your peace, that comes only from You, to the heartbroken and downtrodden... for Father, You seek the intercessor and I pray that You will always find that spirit within your church, and within me.
Rich Forbes