PRAYER AND INTERCESSION
The prayer of intercession is the prayer for others. Prayers is asking God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
The scripture says in first Timothy chapter two verses one and two. “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.”
DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRAYERS
Generally, the bible teaches about different types of prayers. And each type
of prayers has got its own rules. In sports, there are different types of games.
But each game has got its own rules. You cannot take the rules for playing
football and play basketball. And yet, all the games are called sports. Notice
that Paul said, “Supplications, prayers, intercessions and giving thanks”
therefore, we shall discuss “intercession”.
Understanding scriptural principles of intercession will equip the body of Christ to pray more effectively for missions. God will stop at nothing to answer a prayer which agrees with his will. The Bible says that God has no desire for the death of a sinners.
EXAMPLE OF INTERCESSION
The prayer of intercession is a prayer for others. This scripture is talking
about praying or interceding for others. Therefore, an intercessor is one who
takes the place of another or pleads another’s case.
One of the greatest examples of intercessions is found in Genesis 18:20-33. We see Abraham interceding for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. “The Lord said, because the out cry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and there sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the cry which has come to me; and if not, I will know. And the men turned from there and went towards Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near, and said, “Will thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city, wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked that be far from thee: shall not the judge of all the earth do right? And the Lord said, if I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. And Abraham answered and said, behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes. Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for the lack of five? And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. And he said unto him, Oh let the Lord be angry, and I will speak: peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. And he said, behold now, I have taken upon me to speak to the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for the twenty’s sake. And he said, Oh let not the lord be angry, and I will speak yet this once: peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake. And the lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham retuned to his place’’.
The most interesting part of Abraham’s intercession is when he said to God “…oh let not the Lord be angry and I will speak yet but this once…’’. But Abraham stopped at ten. “Peradventure ten shall be found there, and the Lord said, “I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.”
How I wish Abraham wouldn’t have said that he would speak just one more time. I believe had he gone ahead and asked, “Now, Lord if you can find one, would you spare the city just for the sake of one? I am very convinced that the Lord would have said, yes! I will spare the city just for one righteous person. But Abraham stopped at ten. “Peradventure ten shall be found there, and he said, I will not destroy it for the ten’s sake’’.
What a Mighty God we serve. What a tremendous statement! “I will not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah for ten’s sake.” Just because Abraham interceded for that city. God had already spoken of the sin of the city, the sexual immorality of the place. Yet, He said he would spare them for the sake of ten righteous men.
In May 1976, while reading the Bible a friend borrowed to me, I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ. Later, I red in the Bible that I am saved with all my house - Acts 11:14. So, in Faith, I asked the Lord for the Salvation of the entire members of my family. By the Grace of God, I had the privilege of leading my mum and dad in the sinners prayers a while after I became a pastor in 1988. Infact, my father received Salvation at the age of seventy in my living room and went to be with the Lord three years afterwards.
GOD IS LOOKING FOR AN INTERCESSOR
In Ezekiel 22:30-31 we found another scripture concerning intercession. “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 my indignation upon them with the fire of my wrath:
their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God”.
What God said to Israel during the time of Ezekiel, He is saying to us in our own time today. Someone may say, well, I am not called to become an intercessor, but God said, I am looking for someone who will take it upon himself to just pray for Souls, Nations and Missions
Justin Ajuruchi, Pastor, Word of God Church
justinajuruchi@hotmail.com
At Willmar MN, Ph: 320-212-0247 (Oct-Nov '05)