The Intercessory Prayer

Introduction

        Over the last couple of weeks, we have been discussing the subject of prayer. Is Prayer pointless? And what is the Purpose of Prayer? This week we will look at what is called the Intercessory Prayer; praying on behalf of another individual.

        If you recall, the whole basis for these articles came during a discussion on Social Media. I was told by an individual that praying to God, on behalf of our leaders, is the same thing as doing nothing. I will show from scripture that this is not true.

The Meaning of Intercession

        From the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Intercession is prayer on behalf of another, and naturally arises from the instinct of the human heart—not merely prompted by affection and interest, but recognizing that God's relation to man is not merely individual, but social. Religion thus involves man's relations to his fellow-man, just as in man's social position intercession with one on behalf of another is a common incident…

The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men” (NKJV). Here, we are commanded to prayer for one another. That alone, should be proof enough that it isn’t pointless and that it does do something. In verses 2-8, the reasons are given for praying on behalf of others.

Examples in the Old Testament

        Most people will state that using examples in the bible isn’t proof for prayer today. Given that people like Abraham and Moses spoke to God directly and was spoken to directly. No one has direct contact with God in that way today.

        However, if we believe Rom. 15:4 when it says, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” We can certainly realize that God does answer prayer and that we can continue to pray for one another even today in the 21^st century and beyond.

            Abraham’s prayer for Ishmael—Gen. 17:18

          Abraham’s prayer for Sodom—Gen. 18:23-33

          Jacob’s blessing of Joseph’s sons—Gen. 48:8-22

          Moses’ prayer for water at Rephidim—Ex. 17:4

          Moses’ prayer for Miriam’s healing from leprosy—Num. 12:13

Examples in the New Testament

        Again, people might object as Jesus was the Son of God and his prayers were always answered. Really? What about Lk. 23:34? He asked God to forgive his enemies when they nailed him to the cross. Did God forgive them? Not likely. However, this serves as a good example of intercessory prayer in that we are to pray for our enemies and those who would spite us as Christians (Mt. 5:44).

        In Mk. 2:1-12, it tells the story of people bringing a paralytic to Jesus to be healed. They may not have verbally prayed but their faith that Jesus could heal him, and the action they took to bring the man to him, shows that they were making intercession for him.

        There are many other examples in both the book of Acts and the epistles to show that the apostles prayed on behalf of others; be it the members of various congregations or their enemies. These are examples that even today we are to continue to pray for others aside from ourselves.

A painting by Russian artist, Ivan Kramskoi 

Jesus’ Prayer Before Gethsemane—Jn. 17

        The best example of intercessory prayer is that of Jesus’ at the conclusion of his oration after the Passover Supper. Here he prayed for himself, his disciples, and for others (future Christians). Look at verses 9, 15-21 which includes us even today.

        If Jesus is to be followed as an example as stated in 1 Pet. 2:21, we should then pray for others as he has prayed for us.

One of the best intercessory prayers ever given, during an assembly, was when someone said, “God, you know our wants, give us what we need.” How simple is that prayer and yet very powerful!

Conclusion

        Going back to the social media conversation that launched this collection of articles, one individual got it right in regards to prayer when they said, “consider what the focus of the prayer should be.”

        Again, we are not stating that our prayers should simply put all of our problems in the hands of God to sort out for us, but that we seek wisdom from Him to help us figure out the best course of action and how to accomplish it.

        Prayer is far from pointless and it should be looked upon as a tool of the Christian to aid us in our daily lives.