Intercession
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32)
February 19, 2024
Dear friends,
Recently, I have discovered more joy and confidence in prayer, and specifically, in intercessory prayer. Intercession, as you may know, is praying on behalf of others: "...pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:16)
What has boosted my confidence is that, in praying this way, I am imitating God himself and sharing in his great work of redemption.
Christ intercedes for us: "...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 7:25; cf. Romans 8:34) He exemplified his intercession by his prayer for the disciples (and us) in John chapter 17. On the night of his betrayal, Jesus said to Peter, "I have prayed for you..." (Luke 22:32), and Peter's faith would not ultimately fail, and he would be restored to service.
By following Christ's example, we are not to think that our prayers are necessarily effective like his. His knowledge, wisdom, and power are perfect in every way -- ours is not. He infallibly knew and ordained Peter's restoration. We do not have this divine infallibility in prayer. And yet he sets that example for us.
And the Holy Spirit is an intercessor: "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." (Romans 8:26-27) So, we have an indwelling Intercessor and an Intercessor for us at the right hand of God.
This is the marvel of divine intercession, which is for our security and comfort, but also that we may follow his example and so participate in the ministry of intercession. What I mean by this is that God uses our prayers in his unfolding plan of salvation. We play a part. I wonder, how much of the blessing in my life (and yours) can be attributed to the prayer of others? Ultimately, God is the source, but he also moves others to pray for us. As E. M. Bounds wrote, "God shapes the world by prayer."
We are called to intercession. As I'm retired, and less involved in more manual aspects of ministry, I realize that intercessory prayer is a vital work of ministry in itself, accessible to me at all times and places. Sometimes we think of prayer as a last resort, when it should be the first resort. As Thomas Chalmers wrote, “Prayer does not enable us to do a greater work for God. Prayer is a greater work for God.”
And here's a good thing: you don't even have to ask people’s permission to pray for them! (They need not know, but God will know.) This also has become my main occupation at night during those can't-get-back-to-sleep moments.
Even if you're not retired, but are working full-time, or are a busy mother, or a student, you can still bow your head for a moment (or longer) and pray for another person. You might pray for that person to come to faith, to be comforted, to persevere in faith, or to be restored, healed, or strengthened. But in doing so, you can have the confidence that you are following the Lord and that your prayer matters, both for time and eternity.
IN OTHER READING.
-- "The American church may be entering an era in which fewer people ask for Jesus to 'get' them, and more people ask him to save them: from the ruins of self, the lies of modernity, and the despair of unbelief. In this cultural moment, Christians can reach for much more than impressionistic images and music. We can reach for truth." (Samuel D. James)
-- "Baptism is important, but salvation comes through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ, who offered the sacrifice on the cross for sinners, and on the basis of that, Peter offers the universal invitation, 'Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'” (S. Lewis Johnson) Here's a clear and careful exposition of Acts 2:37-40.
-- "There is a difference between having a good time and having a good life." (Mortimer Adler) Why current studies of happiness let us down.
FINAL QUOTE.
"Prayer is a mighty instrument, not for getting man's will done in heaven, but for getting God's will done on earth." (Robert Law)
And that's it for this week!
Sandy
Afterwords is an occasional newsletter on topics of interest to me (Sandy Young) since my retirement from full-time pastoral ministry. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.