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Internet Intercessors Archives
What is
Intercessory Prayer?
By Betty Miller
The Lord instructed us to pray not only for our own personal needs but
to reach out and pray for others as well. We find this in 1 Timothy 2:1-6.
"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. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all
men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 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."
We are told to pray and to make intercession for all men. What is
intercessory prayer? The Greek noun, "enteuxus" in the Bible is the word for
"intercession." It primarily denotes a "meeting with," a conversation
or petition rendered on the behalf of others. "Intercessory prayer," then, is
seeking the presence and audience of God in another's stead. When we pray for the needs of
others that is called "intercession" or we are said to be
"interceding" for them.
Jesus was the greatest "intercessor" of all time. Isaiah
53:12 records the following prophecy about Jesus: "Therefore will I
divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the
transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors." Hebrews 7:25 speaks of Him as a high priest
that is still interceding on our behalf. "Wherefore he is able also to save
them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make
intercession for them."
The Lord is looking for men and women today that are willing to enter
into this ministry with Him. He has always sought people that would "stand in the
gap" for others. Ezekiel 22:30-31 says,
"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. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them
with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the
Lord God."
The Lord does not want judgment to fall upon people. He desires that
they repent and return to Him. However, if they do not repent, judgment is inevitable.The
fruit of sin always has penalty. Prayer for others causes them to repent and seek God.
Therefore, the Lord is always looking for those who will take a burden of prayer for the
wayward ones, so that they might come to Him. He needs spiritual warriors who will
selflessly intercede on behalf of others. The ministry of intercessory prayer perennially
stands open for volunteers who will join the Lord in this work. Through this ministry one
can circle the entire world interposing for the multitudes who have no one else to
"stand in the gap" for them. I personally do not believe the Lord will call
anyone into a public ministry unless the ministry of intercession has first become a
priority in his life.
There are many people eagerly wanting to do something for Jesus while
this important field of work stands wide open. It is certainly not as glamorous as some
other ministries, for no one is seen or applauded in their prayer closet, and perhaps that
is exactly why there are so few volunteers. Even when people are interested in serving in
this form of ministry, there is often a lack of knowledge as to the equipment and the keys
needed to be effective and successful in it.
Some of these keys are presented here in hopes that if you have a heart
toward God and are willing to become an intercessor, you will know how to obtain many
victories. Intercessory prayer, being a ministry to others, is not something that directly
benefits us. It is essentially an outreach ministry. Through it we can truly lay down our
lives for others. As we are faithful by sacrificing our time on the behalf of others, the
Lord then takes care of our needs. As we minister to others, the Lord ministers to us.
While praying for others, we cannot neglect mentioning the added blessing of being in
fellowship with the Lord. As the Holy Spirit directs us in the ways we are to pray for
others, we need to keep in mind that He will always have us pray according to His Word.
Negative prayers and judgment prayed down on people are not in harmony
with the Spirit of the Lord. God is continually extending mercy and help. Some people in
ignorance pray for God to do whatever it takes to save someone. They pray such prayers as,
"Lord, if you have to break their back to get them to come to you, break their
back Jesus, take their business away from them, but save them. God, if it takes a car
wreck to save them, do it Lord. Show them, even if they have to get cancer."
These are examples of the way some ignorant Christians pray. They are truly crimes against
the heart of Christ. He came to save, not to destroy and kill.
Luke 9:53-56, "And they did not receive him, because his
face was as though he would go to Jerusalem. And when his disciples James and John saw
this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and
consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not
what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives,
but to save them. And they went to another village." No one gets saved just
because he gets cancer. If that were true, then every one that had cancer would
automatically come to God. Getting cancer, or being in a car wreck, never saved anyone. On
the other hand, many people have died and gone to hell in these ways. Granted, some do
come to the Lord when tragedy strikes, but it was the strength of someone praying for them
and the mercy of the Holy Spirit that caused them to come to God, not the tragedy. Without
the conviction of the Holy Spirit, their thoughts would never have gone out to God even in
their crisis.
God does not send calamities in order to bring people to Himself. He
tells us in His word that it is the Spirit of God that "woos" and
"draws" people to Himself. This is hastened as Christians pray. John
6:44 says, "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent
me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." Praise God for
intercessors that stand against the enemy and keep him from destroying the souls and lives
of men, women and children who need the Lord.
The ministry of intercession is a vital part of our Christian walk and we can never
attain to maturity and become overcomers by slighting it. I often use the words
"task" and "work" in reference to prayer because it is never easy nor
convenient to pray with any discipline or consistency. We must remember that we have an
enemy (the devil) who is constantly trying to keep us from our prayer life because he
knows (better than most Christians) the damage done to his kingdom through it. Let us
never cease to pray for others and thereby be those "intercessors" that God is
looking for.
BibleResources.org prayer requests come from around the world. Many are from the United States,
but we have heard from most of the nations of the world. Although these people are from
various cultures and religions, many of their prayer requests are similar, and yet, the
cultural diversity and needs make for unique prayer opportunities. We are honored to be
able to introduce them to Jesus and pray on their behalf.
Praying for the World.