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Intercessory
Prayers
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."
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 2:5), a royal priesthood (1
Peter 2:9), 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.
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.
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.
http://www.allaboutprayer.org/intercessory-prayer.htm
Prayers
Of Intercession - Biblical Examples
Prayers of intercession are to be offered on behalf of other people - your
friends, family, co-workers, and so on. Do those around you have needs,
concerns, or health problems? If so, cry out to God on their behalf. The
Bible gives us several examples of intercessory prayer. Here are a few:
One of the earliest examples of this type of prayer is found in Genesis 18
when Abraham pleaded with God for the well-being of the people of Sodom.
Instead of being overcome with his own needs, Abraham prayed for those
around him.
Moses is also known for interceding on behalf of others throughout his
life. In fact, Pharaoh requested that Moses pray for him in Exodus 8:28, "Pharaoh said, 'I will let you go to offer
sacrifices to the LORD your God in the desert, but you must not go very
far. Now pray for me.'" Later in
Exodus 15:25, Moses petitioned God on behalf of the Hebrew people:
"Then Moses cried out to the LORD…" Moses prayed for others
with urgency and boldness.
Several of Paul's prayers of intercession are recorded in the New
Testament. In Philippians 1:9-11,
Paul prayed for the believers: "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."
The church prayed fervently for Peter while he was imprisoned. Acts
12:5 says, "So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was
earnestly praying to God for him."
1 Timothy 2:1-5 exhorts us to
pray for others: "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."
Jesus is the greatest intercessor of all time! Here are some of His
prayers:
Jesus
prayed for Peter - Luke 22:32 says,
"But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And
when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."
Jesus
prayed for those who crucified Him. Luke 23:34 says, "Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they
do not know what they are doing.' And they divided up his clothes by
casting lots."
Jesus
prayed for His disciples and for Believers throughout eternity in John
17.
Is it a sin not to pray for people?
1 Samuel 12:23 answers this question, "As for me, far be it from
me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I
will teach you the way that is good and right."
Do
you spend time praying for others? Prayers of intercession are powerful!
The Bible records that weather changed, people were released from prison,
enemies were defeated, and so much more - all as a result of intercessory
prayer!
http://www.allaboutprayer.org/prayers-of-intercession-faq.htm
How
can I pray for others?
The best gift anyone can give to another is to pray for him or her. We
live in a sinful world where bad things happen to people and people are
tempted to sin. Praying for another person not only helps that person find
God in the midst of trouble, but also helps us recognize the blessings
that God gives us daily!
1 Timothy 2:1-5 says, "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. For there is one God and one
mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
We
are exhorted to pray for others - including our country's leaders, our
authorities at work and elsewhere, our church leaders, our co-workers,
friends, and family.
To answer the question, "How can I pray for others," let's take
a look at prayers in the Bible. Notice the varying topics of biblical
prayers:
·
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."
When
reading those biblical prayers, you may think, "I can't pray that
fluently." When praying, do not worry about how your prayer is
phrased. Our
communication to God should be just as you would talk to your friends or
family. Pray for others whenever you think of them (at work, home,
doing chores, in the car). Soon, praying for others will become a part of
your daily life!
http://www.allaboutprayer.org/pray-for-others-faq.htm
How
can I pray for the unsaved?
Should we pray for the unsaved? Does it really help to pray to God about
people who do not believe in Him? Does God hear our prayers for our
unsaved friends and family? The answer to all of these questions is
"Yes." We should definitely pray for the unsaved, because God
does hear our prayers. Our prayers work with God's will, in ways that we
cannot fully understand, to bring about miracles in the lives of those for
whom we have prayed.
God desires to hear from us, and prayer is our means of talking with Him.
When we, as believers, pray for the unsaved, God listens and He will honor
our requests when our prayers are in line with His will.
Does the Bible tell us to pray for the unsaved? Yes, in Matthew 9:36-38, Jesus tells His disciples that there are many
unsaved people throughout the world. He encouraged them to pray that God
would provide people to share the gospel with them. God desires that all
people learn the truth of salvation.
1 Timothy 2:3-4 says, "This is good, and pleases God our Savior,
who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the
truth."
In Luke 11:9-10, Jesus again
instructs His disciples to pray, and this time He tells them to pray
persistently for those things they would like to receive from their
Heavenly Father. Would you like your unsaved friends and family to come to
know Jesus as their personal Savior? Then pray persistently for them.
Finally, James 5:16 tells us
that "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails
much." We should pray fervently with the expectation that God will
answer our prayers.
Will you pray for the unsaved today? Knowing that God hears our prayers
and knowing that Jesus instructed us to pray persistently, will you commit
to praying for the unsaved? Pray for the unsaved people in your life and
have faith that God will answer your prayers.
http://www.allaboutprayer.org/pray-for-the-unsaved-faq.htm
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'Prayers' to:info@christonline.info
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