Intercessory Prayer

What is intercessory prayer? What does it mean to be an intercessor? A strict definition is one who goes between, one who speaks on behalf of another. Hence, intercessory prayer is when we speak to God on behalf of another, when we stand in the gap between God and someone else. Intercessory prayer is not praying for our own needs – for our spiritual gifts or our problems or our relationships. It’s not even praying for others if it is necessarily going to make our lives better. Intercessory prayer is a selfless task. It is a task that in some circumstances can be difficult or even painful. It is praying for God to step in and take care of someone else – no matter who that someone else is. If we believe in prayer, if we believe that God is able to do all things, then intercessory prayer becomes one of the greatest gifts we can give to anyone.

1 Peter 2:5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

The Bible tells us that we are a holy priesthood, a royal priesthood. To understand what this means, we need to understand that when Peter wrote this, he was writing to people who would have recognized the position of the priesthood. For centuries, the priest was given many things to do, but their reason for being was to be a mediator between man and God. A mediator is a go-between – someone who brings two parties together. It has been recognized for thousands of years that man is not worthy of coming into the presence of God since God is pure and Holy and man is sinful. So there needed to be a way for man and God to connect. This way had been the priesthood.

Hebrews 6:19-20 It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

However, Hebrews tells us that Jesus has become our high priest and so, with Jesus, there is no longer a need for the priesthood. We are all able to come to God through Jesus.

So what does the Bible mean when it says that we are now a holy priesthood and a royal priesthood? It means that there are still others who might need our help – there are still others who might need us to stand in the gap for them. “But you just said that Jesus is standing in the gap for everyone?” That’s right. But God still requests that we do our part. There is a quote, I’m not sure who to attribute it to, but it says this:

“When God wants to do something huge, something that will change the world, He always sets His people to praying. This does not mean that God is incapable of doing anything without us, but that He has chosen to include us in the realization of His divine will. When we choose to become intercessors, we begin to play an integral part in history and in advancing God’s purposes. Without God we cannot, but without us, He will not.”

This is what the Bible is telling us. God can do all things. God can draw all people to himself. God can bring healing, relationships, success. But God’s ways are higher than our ways, His thoughts are higher than ours. The Bible tells us that we need to stand in the gap for others, but it does not say that we have a Genie God, one who does whatever we ask. It is our job to discern and have wisdom in what we ask and then to ask it. God will determine whether those prayers are in His will or not. Jesus taught us to pray, “Thy will be done” and he prayed that exact prayer the night he asked God to take the cup from him and to save him from the death he was about to endure. But he also realized that it was not about what he wanted, it is about what God wants. Our prayers should be asked, but not with the expectations that it will be granted just because we asked, no matter how sincere or faithfully we ask it – but with the expectations that God’s ways are higher than ours and He will always complete what He has started. It may not look like what we were expecting, but we cannot fathom His thoughts – they are too high for us.

So we ask for things, stand in the gap for others, lift up their concerns and do this while being sensitive to the Spirit. We ought to recognize that if we truly are sensitive to the Spirit, we may be asked to do something for God as well. After all, we are asking God to do something for someone, He may be saying “You are the answer.” We need to be sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit as we pray and as we listen to the answer. Wisdom and discernment are crucial in intercessory prayer.

1 Tim 2:1-4 I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

The Bible urges us to lift up requests, prayers and intercessions for everyone. We need to stand in the gap for both each other and for those who might not know God. In the case of ourselves, there can be little more that we can do for each other to show God’s love for each other and to care for each other than to pray for each other. It is the greatest gift one of us can give another. In the case of those who do not know God, it is especially important for us to pray for them since we know that they can never be successful on their own, nor will their prayers to the gods which they have made up themselves ever be heard.

So what should we be praying for? We can pray for all aspects of their lives. We see many people come to Jesus with different issues – some need physical healing such as blindness, disease or being lame. Others needed spiritual healing such as Zacchaeus, the possessed men and those who had their sins forgiven. It is not wrong for us to lift up our friends and families in this way. Unfortunately, this becomes the only type of intercessory prayer that we lift up for them. We need to recognize that the Bible has many other things we need to lift up for our friends and families and if we are not doing this, we are missing a large part of our responsibilities as a priesthood.

Wisdom and power: Ephesians 1:18-20 says, "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength."

Strength and knowledge of God's love: Ephesians 3:16-19 says, "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

Discernment: Philippians 1:9-11 says, "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ - to the glory and praise of God."

Spiritual understanding and knowing God's will: Colossians 1:9 says, "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding."

Steadfastness: 2 Thessalonians 3:5 says, "May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."

Boldness in sharing the faith: Philemon 1:6 says, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ."

Today, we might take these categories and rename them as follow:

• Ability to overcome
• Know God’s love
• Know God’s will
• Faith that God is in charge
• Telling others of God

These are the prayers that we need to lift up regarding each other and those who don’t know God. However, we also need to lift up the concerns of the church. The apostles were always lifting up the work of the church and it is important that we do so as well. The church leadership should be in your daily prayers. The work of the church should be in your prayers as well. The objectives of the church should be in your prayers. As the previous quote said, “Every great movement in history can be traced back to a remnant who began to pray. When God wants to do something huge, something that will change the world, He always sets His people to praying.” Are we being the priesthood that the Bible calls us to be? Are we praying for each other, for the church, for those who need to know Jesus? If we are not, then we cannot expect God to work here. If we are, then expect a great revival! Because God is able to do all things – He’s simply waiting for His people to recognize that and come to Him in prayer.

“Every time we pray, our horizon is altered and our attitude to things is altered – not sometimes but every time – and the amazing thing is that we don’t pray more.”

~ Oswald Chambers

Send mail to david@TheArkNY.org with questions about the church or comments about this site.
Last modified: Sept 9, 2007