Come Up Here And See

• Hebrews 7:24-25 NKJV But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 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.

In Derek Prince’s “Secrets of A Prayer Warrior”, he describes different types of prayer to a symphony. This symphony’s conductor is the Holy Spirit. The score is the revealed will of God in the Word of God, and the musicians are brought together in the name of Jesus. As we come together we are offering up a beautiful harmony of prayers which are the instruments. The twelve type of prayers or instruments are: 

• Praise
• Thanksgiving
• Worship
• Petition
• Intercession
• Supplication
• Command
• Commitment
• Dedication
• Persistence
• Blessing
• Cursing

Intercession  is one of the highest arts of Christian life and one of the most difficult instruments to play. This requires maturity, practice and a lot of skill. The intercessor comes in between God and for those whom he is praying.

• Cambridge – to use your influence to persuade someone in authority to forgive another person, or save this person from punishment.

The Bible gives us amazing and extreme examples of intercessors. 

With Sodom and Gomorroh, first the Lord sends two angels to visit Abraham to tell of His plans. Abraham shows immense hospitality to the angels, washing their feet, killing a calf for their meal, and having fellowship with them at the terebinth trees. As the Lord began to unfold His plan for the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorroh, Abraham was concerned about his backslidden nephew,  Lot who was living there. Abraham began to intercede for them in the form of bargaining. Abraham was saying “Lord, what if fifty righteous men were found?”, and Abraham took the number down to ten to which the Lord agreed. That is intercession. Abraham kept persuading the Lord to forgive Sodom and Gomorroh and release them from this judgment. Genesis 18:16-33

Moses also portrayed extreme intercession when he prayed for Israel after the people had made a golden calf. Moses had been  communing with God and receiving the covenant  on Mount Sinai. When he had been absent forty days, the people of Israel complained to Aaron that “Moses is gone, we don’t know where he is and we need a god. Come on, Aaron, make us a god.” So Aaron took all the golden earrings, melted them and made a molten calf to which they worshiped. 

On the mountain top the Lord interrupted their conversation and told Moses that Moses should know what is going on down there. The following scripture makes it obvious that neither God nor Moses would take responsibility for the people. It also shows us that God would not act against the people unless Moses agreed. 

• Exodus 32:7-10 NKJV And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen these people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make you a great nation.”

Moses could have complied with God and told Him to blot out the people because God said that He would make a great nation out of Moses. But Moses points out to God, that God brought them out of Egypt, they are His people. Moses took it further with humility saying that his supreme concern was for God’s glory. If God did blot them out, the Egyptians would say that God rescued them only for evil intentions. Then Moses reminded God of His promises and covenant to Abraham, Issac, and Jacob (Israel). 

After Moses had dealt with the people, he returned once again to Mount Sinai asking God’s forgiveness on behalf of them and if God could not forgive them, Moses prayed that God would blot him. 

• Exodus 32:31-32 NKJV  Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

This exchange between God and Moses, we see Moses’ heart of fervent prayer, intercession, and supplication. 

When someone’s sin caused a breach, the intercessor stands before God and says, Lord, I’m stopping the gap. Your blow can’t fall upon him unless it first falls upon me.” This example also shows the position of the supplican who calls out for mercy. The intercessor is God-centered. He is not problem-focused; he is not focused on what man can or cannot do. He has a vision of what God can do. When no intercessor can be found among God’s people, it is the supreme mark of failure in our responsibility to God and to our fellow man.   Derek Prince

Another intercessor example is Job. Job’s intercession was to accept responsibility for his children’s sins and pray for them. Job was saying to God, if by any chance someone has sinned I am offering a sacrifice on behalf of them. 

• Job 1:4-5 NKJV And his sons would go and feast in their houses, each on his appointed day, and would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them. 5 So it was, when the days of feasting had run their course, that Job would send and sanctify them, and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all. For Job said, “It may be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did regularly.

If you are praying for your family, and most of us need to intercede for someone in our families, be encouraged. Get up early in the morning and offer the appropriate sacrifice. Trust God with the results.     Derek Prince 

Anna spent most of her time fasting, she was an intercessor. She was representing her people, praying out to God on behalf of Israel and crying out for the redemption of Israel. Luke 2: 36-38

Are you willing to be an intercessor? An intercessor must have an absolute conviction of God’s righteousness, but he must be absolutely convinced also that God will judge the wicked. An intercessor has to have a crystal-clear vision of absolute justice and inevitably of God’s justice. Second, an intercessor has to have a deep concern for God’s glory. Third, an intercessor must have an intimate acquaintance with God. An intercessor is a person who stands before God and talks with Him with the utmost frankness and yet reverence. And finally, to be an intercessor takes holy boldness. You must be willing to risk your life. Aaron did this when he took the incense and stood between the plague God had sent.    Derek Prince 

Jesus the King of Righteousness is our intercessor. He interceded for us on the cross and He is now seated at the right hand of God making intercession for us. Now only that but the Holy Spirit is making intercession on behalf of us to the Father. Thankfully the Spirit of the Living God will aid us to intercede for others. 

• Romans 8:26-27 NKJV Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Spirit of the Living God, I pray that we would have a conviction that You love righteousness and that You hate wickedness. Help us to have Your vision of justice and an awareness of Your glory. Lord, help us to be intimate and frank with You when we are with You. Continue to teach us about holy boldness and how to stand in for others. Thank You for the intercession on the cross and the intercession taking place right now. Forgive us where we have taken that for granted and we have not been thankful, in Jesus’ name, amen. 

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Photo credit to Samuel Martins