03/30/2025
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 of it in this verse...
“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 like 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 our 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 intercede daily for others in prayer and once served on a three man intercessory prayer team at my church. We met every Monday evening to prayed for all those who came to us, and we also prayed for our church, country, and the needs of the world. Many times I’d 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 would meet the Holy Spirit and humble ourselves before God. Miracles happened as we prayed; sometimes they came exactly as we had prayed for them, but often in surprising fashion... yet always as God's will was done.
If you find yourself in need of prayer, and without intercession in your church, then always know that Jesus is the great intercessor, and He is constantly making intercession for you. You can also seek out those with this gift in surrounding churches. It doesn't mean that you need to change churches... just find prayer where that gift resides. People have come to me, and to the prayer team on which I once served. They have come from many churches over the years, and as brothers and sisters in Christ I have prayed for them all. We go to the hospital when we are sick, and then we return home... finding intercession is similar to this. Or perhaps, you have the gift of intercessory prayer and can serve your church in such fashion. Intercession is a necessity in our spiritual lives... even for saints who are perfectly capable to pray themselves.
“and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,”
Ephesians 6:17-18 ESV
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 of others as I lift their plight unto you. Lead me Holy Spirit in my prayers for those who are suffering; let me feel their pain that I can bring it in heartfelt fashion 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 bring comfort to the needy, and satisfaction to the You... because You seek the intercessor, and I pray that you always find that spirit within me.
Help me Father as I intercede for others, even for my enemies, and help me to find someone you have gifted in prayer when I too am in need of intercession. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you who hears my prayers and answers. Holy are you who showers all your children with mercy and grace when they come to you in prayer, or are carried by others, before you. Praised be your name Lord, and may all glory be yours for every miracle, provision, or defense, that you have made in answer to our prayers, and in response to the intercession we have made in prayer for others. To you, and you alone do we give thanks for every answered prayer and intercession. To you we cry our Hallelujah! and claim Amen!
Hallelujah, and Amen, Amen, Amen!
“Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
James 5:16 ESV
“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
John 15:7 ESV
Rich Forbes