My first month on the Race, the Lord introduced me to intercessory prayer. Month two, it was over half of our ministry. Intercession was not something I practiced before the race, but it has become a passion of mine.
What is intercessory prayer?
It is exactly what it sounds like. It is prayer of the behalf of someone else. We have a culture of asking or telling others we will pray for them. I personally think of intercession as more of praying for someone or something that is not capable of praying for his/her self. This could be because it is a collective problem (apathy, group sin, cultural norm), a lack of awareness that change needs to happen (do not recognize God), or a change is desired but will not personally ask (may not feel that his/her voice is worth God’s notice). In these cases, we can intercede on behalf of someone else.
Why?
Its Biblical. Abraham intercedes for Sodom. Ezekiel intercedes for the dry bones. Daniel intercedes for Jerusalem. Jesus intercedes for us. The Lord wants us to care for one another. He loves us and wants to extend that love to others.
How?
I love going to the Bible for this one. There are so many ways to intercede. The only thing that I dislike doing, is telling God/Holy Spirit what to do. He is already doing it; we are just getting a chance to see what the Lord is doing and his heart.
Abraham argues his case and bargains with the Lord. Ezekiel commands the things around him to obey and listen to the Lord. Daniel pleads for Israel and himself. Jesus takes on our sin. (Sorry, you cannot do the last one.) I have learned a lot about the authority of the Lord in me (us). There is a lot of power in commanding the things around us to acknowledge their creator. There is a lot of feeling in walking along side in intercession by praying for yourself with the intercessor. These are not all of the ways to intercede, just some highlights the Lord has shown me.
I have never seen the Lord move as powerfully as in Intercession. It has completely changed my relationship with the Lord. It has changed the way I worship, the way I love, the way I do life. Interceding is an incredible way to see and experience life in a new way. Ten out of ten recommend.
