Intercede For Others!
Together or Alone We Must Intercede for Others Continually!
Pray for Me Brother!
What can we do for those whom we know need prayer? Perhaps we have noticed an issue that is challenging a family or have been asked in some vague way to, “pray for me please …” and there is always that stickler, “I have an unnamed prayer.” What are we supposed to do? The answer is clear in Scripture. We have Paul to thank for that. He provides us with a direct and profound way to intercede for others with requests that address God’s will for each of us.
But first let us understand the word we are using here. Intercession … in Unger’s bible dictionary we find almost a full page of small font to explain. I have taken this from his definition: “… a great truth is to be recognized … that it is a great privilege and duty of all Christians to pray effectively for others. The Hebrew word is “paga” meaning to come upon and the Greek word “entunchano” … come between or upon.” Let us remember that both Christ and the Holy spirit pray for us as intercessors at this very moment. We may and should join in also. Intercession, intercessor and intercessory … us holding up the family of God with love and patience.
We find the Apostle Paul and Timothy writing to the church in Colossae in Phrygia, Asia Minor, and almost immediately they begin to praise the church there. They have been told by the church minister of the members bearing fruit in the Spirit, they love the Spirit. What is offered is a prayer of intercession of the first magnitude! It is such a prayer that many believe it speaks to the most important needs of any believer.
“For this reason also, since the day we heard of this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the word of knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saint’s inheritance of the light. He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:7, 9-14
9 POINTS TO CONSIDER IN PAUL’S PRAYER
How precious is this? Who amongst the believers we know
would object to such words being prayed over them?
Paul embeds in a single prayer the following wishes
that the Colossians, and you, may know,
understand and experience:
Know God’s Will
Improve in Character
Gain Spiritual Wisdom
Be Fruitful
Grow Spiritually
Increase in the Knowledge of God
Have Endurance
Have Patience
Be Joyful!
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All these are critical to the life of a Christian. Regardless of the situation a Christian may be in these points are central to their lives and yours. How could you pray this over others and not bring blessing into their lives. Whether they are weak, sad, troubled, happy, distant from God or anything else you become another intercessor for them. Our nation, the Pastor, a good friend or anyone else can reap benefit if you seed their days with this offering. Yes, you would also benefit greatly if you prayed this over your own life! It is all in God’s will for each of us. It is a wonderful prayer for your own walk with Jesus and his Father. Regardless of how you feel or how difficult your day may be, you could do no wrong praying these requests over yourself or another.
Examples of Effective Prayer
What does it mean when a soul cries out, “Help me, Lord! Please help me!” Let us look at Mark 10:46-51 KJV “And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou Son of David have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man unto him, be of good comfort and rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, what wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he recovered his sight and followed Jesus in the way.”
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Then there is the woman with the Judge in Luke 18:4-5 KJV She has a request of the judge and for some time he refuses her. But finally, he said to himself, “Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so she won’t eventually come and attack me. And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring justice about for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night”? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you he will see that they get justice and quickly …”
In your prayers, using what Paul has told us, be persistent and direct with your requests. Combined you will have effective prayers that bring results from God and His Son. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16b KJV Again, fervency, a sincere desire for an answer is easy to muster in your prayer life. Next, we will review several warnings about hindered prayer.
CAUTION- MONITOR YOUR CONDUCT
There are ways to hinder the prayers that you share with God and His Son.
1 Peter 3:7 KJV “Husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat her as you should so that your prayers won’t be hindered.” Deal with unresolved marital issues before making pleas to God.
Matthew 5:23-24 KJV “Therefore if thou bring thy gift before the alter, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee, leave there the gift before the alter and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, then come and offer thy gift.” Lingering issues left to sit unattended will interfere with your gift.
Matthew 6:14-15 KJV “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also; forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” This cannot be taken lightly!
Psalm 66:18-20 KJV “If I regard iniquity (sin) in my heart the Lord will not hear me: but verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away from my prayer, nor is his mercy far from me.” Confess and repent first; clear the deck.
There you have it, a covering prayer that can work for anyone including you! I have offered you guidelines on how to clear the path for your prayers to be heard. Add to that as much specificity as you can and make sure that you are not stuck in sin or unforgiveness. There is no excuse for not praying. God has clearly shown you how to succeed. Follow his lead, you will undoubtedly be amazed with the results. Be in line with God so that your prayers remain effective. If you fall down and sin, get up and pray forgiveness and start over again. Stay close to God! “Though a righteous person falls seven times, he will get up …” Proverbs 24:16a God knows that we are not perfect except in Christ.
I must ask you this, whom do you claim to love that you do not speak to? Seek God’s face via prayer and the study of Scripture. You will be rewarded by knowing God more and more intimately.
There is joy in just being alive at any age. Having Christ in your life magnifies that feeling every moment!
UNBRIDELED JOY
Luke 15:7-10 KJV
“I say unto you,
that likewise joy shall be in heaven
over one sinner that repenteth,
more than ever over ninety just persons,
which need no repentance.”
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Psalm 5:11-12 KJV
“But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice:
Let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:
let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous;
with favour wilt thou compass him with a shield.”
Intercede for Other People
“Prayer is a sincere, a sensible, affectionate pouring out of the heart of the soul to God, through Christ, in strength and assistance of the Holy Spirit, for such things as God has promised, or according to the Word of God, for the good of the church with submission in faith to the will of God.”
John Bunyan 1628-1688 English Minister
God welcomes your prayers. We may ask for anything within His will. Here are seven guidelines to help you pray more effectively.
Simply open your heart and be yourself. No fancy words needed, nothing memorized, just talk with God. Share your concerns, doubts, disappointments, struggles and your hopes and dreams. Be sincere.
Be practical and do not ask for every whim and or fantasy. Align your petitions, your prayers with God’s will for your life and needs.
Develop your relationship with God through your prayer life. this becomes a conversation as you share your life with Him. He knows what you are doing but wants to hear directly from you. Share everything with Him your deepest love and affection and innermost feelings; the joy and/or sadness alike to the one who loves you the most.
Lean on the Holy spirit in your prayers. He equips and enables us to find the right words and the right prayers. The Holy Spirit prays for you constantly in words that cannot be uttered. He is there to support you in your prayer life.
Study Scripture on a regular basis. Know the promises God has made us. What gifts does He offer? Refer to His words in your prayers. You honor Him when he hears you using Scripture with Him. Stay in step with God’s plan for you.
Focus on God’s will in your life and that of others; friend and enemy alike. Praying through the lens of God’s will may run counter to our selfish human desires yet it is the proper approach to being in God’s care.
Prayer is not your shopping list. It is primarily there to enter into a meaningful relationship with our Creator. It builds faith and makes you and God partners for life. This allows you to develop a receptive heart; willing to submit to God’s plan for you as an individual!
How many prayers punctuate your life today?
“Intercessory prayer is truly the universal work of the Christian. No place is closed to intercessory prayer: no continent, no nation, no city, no organization, no office. No power on earth can keep intercession out. ”
Christ Prayed for All Believers
“I pray not only for these (his disciples), but also for those who believe in me through their word. May they all be as one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. I have given them the glory you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me, so that they may be made completely one, that the world may know you have sent me and have loved them as you have loved them as you have loved me.
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they will see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the world’s foundation. Righteous Father, I have known you, and they have known that you sent me. I made your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them” John 17:20-24 CSB
Our Lord and Savior talking with His Father the Creator about us, how wonderful! We are party to an intimate conversation between Christ and God! Soon Christ would be taken away and crucified. Christ, our Lord and Savior, in the worst of times, took a moment to lift us up to His Father in prayer. Should we not lift those in need of prayer continually? And we are welcomed by God to do the same for ourselves.
