These are some thoughts/reflections/revelations about intercession that I have been pondering lately. These have been influenced by many areas of the School of Intercessory Prayer I am part of – by teachers, by school staff, by the book we are reading, through things my friends are sharing, through prayer and listening to God and reading his Word and revelation of the Word. Thanks to all of you. And thanks be to God.
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If you know me – and if you are reading this you probably know me – than you know that I am a mind person; I process logically, I have been called a Vulcan and Spock, and I LOVE Germany in part because they are highly rational. I am continuing to learn Greek, German, and English and I love etymology. Thus the way I introduce this entry, with a definition.
intercede – from French intercéder and Latin intercedere, inter– "between" + cedere "go"
The verb to intercede means literally to go between, which is done on behalf of another.
After the prophet Isaiah has a revelation of the Lord in the temple and God extends great mercy and grace to Isaiah, the Lord asks "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Isaiah responded "Ooh, ooh, pick me!" (Is. 6:8, paraphrase mine). God is seeking an intercessor, someone to go between God and God's people. And he wants someone with a heart that screams "I'll stand in front of them for you!"
Practical example: A lawyer is one example of an intercessor. He goes between a client and the Judge and intervenes on behalf of the client. He advises, he counsels his client. Hmmmm...
Later in Isaiah, he writes, "The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him" (Is. 59:15,16). And in the end of a chapter in Ezekiel about all the ways Israel has despised and broken promises with the Lord, God says, "And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach [gap] before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none. Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads" (Ez 22:30,31).
God is righteous and merciful, full of wrath and full of peace and forgiveness. He desired earnestly for an intercessor to go between him and Israel and say "Lord, forgive this people and give your mercy for them to turn back to you!" Maybe no one listened when his Spirit spoke to them. Maybe no one could hear the Lord. All that matters is not one person said "Ooh ooh, pick me! I'll go!"
There is much I could go into at this point, but I will not now. What I am beginning to see and receive is that God desires people who will share his heart and listen to his will; who will agree with him, no matter the cost. This is so brilliant to me. I have just realized this:
God does NOT want or need to be convinced or persuaded! It's his desire to release mercy and grace and peace and joy and life!... all the things I desire at my core. He is righteous and just and holy, and the Law brings judgment and wrath that he must uphold if no intercessor will stand in the gap.
The Levites, the priests for the Hebrew people were intercessors for the people to go between them and God to offer atonement for their sins everyday. The High Priest interceded once a year for the whole nation.
Which is where Jesus comes in. And there is again too much that can be said about many things, so I focus on this: Isaiah 53:12 testifies of Jesus that "he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." God sought for a man who should stand in the gap, he asked "Who will go for us?" and Jesus said "I'll go" and became the ultimate intercessor, the One in whom we have confidence in intercession.
"The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but [Jesus] holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:23–25.)
God searches for people to stand in the breach, and Jesus gladly became human to live and die and live again to be the perfect intercessor. The Spirit of Jesus Christ lives in those who trust him to be their intercession before the Lord for their sins.
So I have confidence in the place of intercession that when I stand in the gap before God, when I listen to what his will and desire are, how he wants me to pray, he will not be slow to answer or give in only after hours and days of pleading and fasting, but knowing he will move quickly to accomplish his will.
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That's all for now. I have a lot of stories and testimonies and thoughts, and I love sharing them, so please ask me. And I would be happy to pray if there is anything you want intercession for.
Grace and peace!
Chris
