INTERCESSORY PRAYER
Part 1


A. "AS FOR ME, GOD FORBID THAT I SHOULD SIN AGAINST THE LORD IN CEASING TO PRAY FOR YOU" - I SAMUEL 12:23
  1. The prophet Samuel was a man of prayer:
    1. Even apostate King Saul recognized Samuel as a man of prayer - I Sam. 15:24-31
    2. Much of his prayer life was making intercession for Israel and its leaders
  2. His testimony as stated in our opening text is most revealing:
    1. To pray for God's people was a part of his ministry - as a prophet and as a priest of the Lord
    2. In this there is a lesson for the workers of God today; they are to be dedicated to a life of prayer and intercession
B. INTERCESSORY PRAYER
  1. What is it?
    1. To intercede in prayer means to act between two parties with a view of reconciliation; Examples: Moses interceding for Israel Ex. 32:31-32; in this instance Moses stepped into the gap between Israel and God - Ps. 106:23; Abraham made intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah - Gen. 18:22-33; Moses for Pharaoh and his people - Ex. 8:12-31; Solomon for his people I Kings 8
    2. To represent someone's interest before the throne of grace; Examples: Jesus Christ is our advocate before God the Father, pleading our interest - I Tim. 2:5; I John 2:1-3; Heb. 4:15-16; a mother pleading the case of her daughter before the Son of God - Matt. 15:22-28; Paul making a special appeal for his spiritual son Onesimus in his letter to Philemon - Phil. 1
  2. To qualify for the ministry of intercession:
    1. One must be possessed with the spirit of love and compassion; Examples: Jonathan loved David and he interceded for David with his father at the risk of his own life - I Sam. 20:29-30; Moses loved Miriam, his sister and he prayed the Lord that He would heal her - Num. 12:13
    2. An intercessor is one that uses his relationship and influence to God in the interest of those who need pardon from the Lord - Examples: The man of God interceding for apostate King Jeroboam - I Kings 13:6-7; Elijah - I Kings 17:20-23; Elisha too made intercession 2 Kings 4:33-36
C. THE MINISTRY OF INTERCESSION
  1. A major part of the gospel commission:
    1. Writes Paul, "God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit. . . we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" - 2 Cor. 5:18-21
    2. To pray for others is the highest type of intercession for others - this is a most important truth to keep in mind; because when we pray to God for others - it simply means that we seek the best of their interest before the Lord
  2. Samuel considered it a sin to cease to pray for God's people - "As for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you"
    1. That means that making intercession in our prayer for others is the will of God, as truly as it is the will of God not to steal, not to kill, and not to use the name of the Lord in vain
    2. Please keep this truth very close to your own heart - and you will not let a day pass by without making intercession for someone for whom Christ died
    3. It is inconceivable for a Christian not to pray for others - specially when we cherish the prayers of others for us
  3. Intercessory prayer by us:
    1. Indicates that the Spirit of God dwells in our hearts - He is, as we know, an intercessor for us when we pray - Rom. 8:26
    2. It shows that the love of Jesus impels us to plead for others - 2 Cor. 5:14-17; Examples: We think of Paul for his kinsmen - Rom. 9:1-3; of Jeremiah for his people - Jer. 42:2-10; of the apostolic church - Acts 12:6-12
    3. It shields our prayer from human selfishness - for when we pray for others we have less time to think of our own interest - people that pray for others are less tempted to think of their own selves


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