Intercessors

Intercessory Prayer

“I have prayed for thee.”

When Christ told Peter He would pray for him in his temptation, our Lord was more than familiar with Satan’s depth of deception. Our Saviour could truly say with the prophet of old, “I sat where they sat.” He knew the darkness awaiting his beloved follower. The writer of Hebrews tells us Jesus was tempted in all points of life, as we are. I think the sweetest words to come out of a saint’s mouth is a sincere, “I am praying for you.”

Intercessory prayer is no doubt the highest form of prayer. On the positive side, it is bringing another with you to the Mercy Seat, seeking their welfare. The first mention is Abraham praying for Abimelech. The Bible is replete with such cases as: Moses, Samuel, Elisha, Daniel, Stephen, Paul, Epaphras, etc; the greatest being our Lord. He’s been actively engaged in this type of ministry for over 2000 years now! This then is a Christ-like characteristic.

I was thinking, intercessory prayer is a sure cure-all for Christian narcissism. Could it be if we took more interest in others' needs God might just take more interest in ours? For years now, I've had what I call, “The Golden Rule of Prayer.” That is, as I would have others pray for me and mine, even so should I do . With what fervor, earnestness, agony, do we pray when all seems hopeless for us and ours? We need to return to travailing in prayer for others till we hear the cry of life.

“Ye also helping together by prayer for us.”