Abraham Prayed
So Abraham prayed unto God: and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bare children. ~Genesis 20:17
How well do you pray for other people? Do you take seriously the value of intercessory prayer? Within the context of our devotion this morning, I would like for us to consider what it means to be a “valuable intercessory people.”
There is the principle of intercession.
Intercession means to petition on behalf of another person. It is taking on the responsibility of mediating or standing on behalf of someone in need before a magistrate or powerful decision maker. Intercession is when we pray for the needs of someone else. It is when we are petitioning God to do something great in the life of another.
There are the precedents in intercession.
I am encouraged when I think about the many Bible examples of people who interceded for someone in need and how God answered prayer. Abraham interceded for a pagan king and his wife that she would be able to bear children, and God answered this prayer. Elijah interceded before God for the lifeless son of a widow woman. He asked God to restore life to this young man, and God did. A nobleman interceded with Jesus for his young son who was dying. He prayed, “Sir, come down ere my child die.” Jesus answered this man’s prayer. Job prayed for his three friends who ridiculed him during his time of trial. God heard Job’s prayers and was merciful to these men. The precedents in the Bible repeatedly remind us of our responsibility to pray for others.
There is the priority of intercession.
We are commanded to pray for one another. We are commanded to pray for open doors for the gospel. We are to pray that members of our church would stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. We are to pray for the success and safety of God’s servants. We are to pray for each other that our faith does not fail and that Satan would not sift us as wheat. We are to pray for the unsaved to be saved. We are to pray for God to be merciful in the lives of those who have drifted in their walk with Him.
There is the product in intercession.
God is pleased, and we see answers to our prayers. The mighty hand of God is moved in the lives of those whom we pray for. I am thinking of the Prayer Group ministry of our church and how many answers to prayer we have seen for serious health needs and salvations. All who interceded can testify of God’s power at work. The people that we pray for benefit from our praying. We benefit from our praying.
There is the privilege in intercession.
It is a privilege for us to pray for one another. We have the opportunity of impacting lives through heavenly petitioning. We help others draw closer to God. We see souls saved. We get to serve others by bringing their names before the throne of grace for grace to help in time of need.
Take a moment today to evaluate your intercession ministry. Intercede with the intent of seeing God work in lives. Intercede with the intent of seeing God do something great for someone else. Be a Christian who is a “valuable intercessory person!”
Have an intercessory-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Proverbs 1-3