Intercessory
Prayer - What is it?
Intercessory prayer is prayer for others. An intercessor is one who
takes the place of another or pleads another's case. One study Bible defines
intercession as "holy, believing, persevering prayer whereby someone
pleads with God on behalf of another or others who desperately need God's
intervention."
Intercessory Prayer - The Biblical
Foundation
The Biblical basis for the New Testament believer's ministry of intercessory
prayer is our calling as priests unto God. The Word of God declares that we are
a holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:4), a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:8), and a
kingdom of priests (Revelation 1:5).
The background for understanding this calling to priestly intercession is found
in the Old Testament example of the Levitical priesthood. The priest's
responsibility was to stand before and between. He stood before God to minister
to Him with sacrifices and offerings. The priests also stood between a
righteous God and sinful man bringing them together at the place of the blood
sacrifice.
Hebrews 7:11-19 explains the difference between the Old and New Testament
ministries of the priest. The Old Testament Levitical priesthood was passed on
from generation to generation through the descendants of the tribe of Levi.
"The Melchizedek priesthood" spoken of in this passage, is the
"new order" of spiritual priests of whom the Lord Jesus is the High
Priest. It is passed on to us through His blood and our spiritual birth as new
creatures in Christ.
Intercessory Prayer - Our Model Intercessor
Jesus Christ is our model for intercessory prayer. Jesus stands before God and
between Him and sinful man, just as the Old Testament priests did: For there is
one God, and one mediator (intercessor) between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). 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). 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).
Jesus brings sinful man and a righteous God together at the place of the blood
sacrifice for sin. No longer is the blood of animals necessary as it was in the
Old Testament. We can now approach God on the basis of the blood of Jesus that
was shed on the cross of Calvary for the
remission of sins. Because of the blood of Jesus, we can approach God boldly
without timidity (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Jesus was an intercessor while He was here on earth. He prayed for those who
were sick and possessed by demons. He prayed for His disciples. He even prayed
for you and me when He interceded for all those who would believe on Him. Jesus
continued His ministry of intercession after His death and resurrection when He
returned to Heaven. He now serves as our intercessor in Heaven.
Intercessory Prayer - Effective
Intercession
In intercessory prayer, we follow the Old Testament priestly function and the
New Testament pattern of Jesus - standing before God and between a righteous
God and sinful man. In order to be effective standing "between" we
must first stand "before" God to develop the intimacy necessary to
fulfill this role. Numbers 14 is one of the greatest accounts of intercessory
prayer recorded in the Bible. Moses was able to stand between God and sinful
man because he had stood "before" Him and had developed intimacy of
communication. Numbers 12:8 records that God spoke with Moses as friend to
friend and not through visions and dreams as He did with other prophets.
As New Testament believers, we no longer sacrifice animals as in Old Testament
times. We stand before the Lord to offer up spiritual sacrifices of praise
(Hebrews 13:15) and the
sacrifice of our own lives (Romans 12:1). It is on the basis of this intimate
relationship with God that we can then stand "between" Him and
others, serving as an advocate and intercessor in their behalf.
Peter uses two words to describe this priestly ministry: "Holy" and
"royal." Holiness is required to stand before the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). We are able to do this only
on the basis of the righteousness of Christ, not our own righteousness. Royalty
is descriptive of the kingly authority that is delegated to us as members of
the "royal family," so to speak, with legitimate access to the throne
room of God.
Quite simply, intercessory prayer
is the act of praying on behalf of others. The role of mediator in prayer was
prevalent in the Old Testament, in the cases of Abraham, Moses, David, Samuel,
Hezekiah, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Christ is pictured in the New
Testament as the ultimate intercessor, and because of this, all Christian
prayer becomes intercession since it is offered to God through and by Christ.
Jesus closed the gap between us and God when He died on the cross. Because of
Jesus’ mediation, we can now intercede in prayer on behalf of other Christians
or for the lost, asking God to grant their requests according to His will. “For
there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (
1 Timothy 2:5).
“Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised
to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (
Romans 8:34).
A wonderful model of intercessory prayer is found in Daniel 9. It has all the
elements of true intercessory prayer. It is in response to the Word (v. 2);
characterized by fervency (v. 3) and self-denial (v. 4); identified unselfishly
with God’s people (v. 5); strengthened by confession (v. 5-15); dependent on
God’s character (vv. 4, 7, 9, 15); and has as its goal God’s glory (vv. 16-19).
Like Daniel, Christians are to come to God on behalf of others in a heartbroken
and repentant attitude, recognizing their own unworthiness and with a sense of
self-denial. Daniel does not say, “I have a right to demand this out of You,
God, because I am one of your special, chosen intercessors.” He says, “I'm a
sinner,” and, in effect, “I do not have a right to demand anything.” True
intercessory prayer seeks not only to know God’s will and see it fulfilled, but
to see it fulfilled whether or not it benefits us and regardless of what it
costs us. True intercessory prayer seeks God’s glory, not our own.
The following is only a partial list of those for whom we are to offer
intercessory prayers: all in authority (
1 Timothy 2:2);
ministers (
Philippians 1:19); the church (
Psalm 122:6);
friends (
Job 42:8);
fellow countrymen (
Romans 10:1); the sick (
James 5:14);
enemies (
Jeremiah 29:7);
those who persecute us (
Matthew 5:44); those who forsake us (
2 Timothy
4:16); and all men (
1 Timothy 2:1).
There is an erroneous idea in contemporary Christianity that those who offer up
intercessory prayers are a special class of “super-Christians,” called by God
to a specific ministry of intercession. The Bible is clear that
all
Christians are called to be intercessors. All Christians have the Holy Spirit
in their hearts and, just as He intercedes for us in accordance with God’s will
(
Romans
8:26-27), we are to intercede for one another. This is not a
privilege limited to an exclusive Christian elite; this is the command to all.
In fact, not to intercede for others is sin. “As for me, far be it from me that
I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you” (
1 Samuel
12:23).
Certainly Peter and Paul, when asking others to intercede for them, did not
limit their request to those with a special calling to intercession. “So Peter
was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him” (
Acts 12:5).
Notice it was the whole church that prayed for him, not just those with a gift
of intercession. In
Ephesians 6:16-18, Paul exhorts the Ephesian believers—all of
them—on the fundamentals of the Christian life, which includes intercession “on
all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” Clearly, intercessory
prayer is part of the Christian life for all believers.
Further, Paul sought prayer on his behalf from all the Roman believers in
Romans 15:30.
He also urged the Colossians to intercede for him in
Colossians
4:2-3. Nowhere in any biblical request for intercession is there any
indication that only a certain group of people could intercede. On the
contrary, those who seek others to intercede for them can use all the help they
can get! The idea that intercession is the privilege and calling of only some
Christians is without biblical basis. Worse, it is a destructive idea that
often leads to pride and a sense of superiority.
God calls all Christians to be intercessors. It is God’s desire that every
believer be active in intercessory prayer. What a wonderful and exalted
privilege we have in being able to come boldly before the throne of Almighty God
with our prayers and requests!
Prayer is the most potent force known to humanity.
Because we have been made partakers in Jesus’ victory over sin and death (1
John 4:4), we have the authority as sons and daughters of God to pray for
others, pushing back the darkness of sin and oppression. In prayer, we have a
weapon that has “divine power to destroy strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4).
That kind of weaponry—the power of prayer— is something
God invites us to use as we seek not only personal transformation but the
transformation of the world as well. An intercessor is one who takes up a
“burden” that goes far beyond his or her own needs and intentions.
And those who take up the call to intercession come to
learn in a deeper way that the sufferings of the present time cannot compare to
the joy that will come as God’s purposes unfold. They learn to trust in the
Lord, because they have experienced in prayer how infinitely compassionate God
is. Intercessors participate in God’s magnificent plan to raise humanity to
share in divine life. This insight moves them to engage in a spiritual battle
against the forces that seek to destroy God’s plans.
The Letter of James tells us that “The prayer of a
righteous man has great power in its effects” (James 5:16), and there is no one
more righteous than Jesus—the most powerful intercessor whoever walked the
earth. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, rightly declared, “Lord, if you had been
here, my brother would not have died. And even now I know that whatever you ask
from God, God will give you” (John 11:21-22).
The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that because Jesus’
priesthood is eternal, “he is able for all time to save those who draw near to
God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (7:25).
Imagine that: right now, Jesus is in heaven interceding for you, even as he
intercedes for the entire world. He also invites us all to join in his priestly
intercession so that a might flood of prayer will ascend to the Father’s
throne.
So ask the Holy Spirit to
teach you how to pray in union with the mind of God. Take to heart St.
Paul’s
words, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as
we ought, but
that very Spirit intercedes . . . for the saints according to the
will of God” (Romans 8:26-27). And
above all, ask God to give you confidence
that he hears your prayers and longs to answer the deep
needs of those around
you.
Written by Apostle Vanessa Williams
