Jesus Our Intercessor
Today's Verse:
O Lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. ~Lamentations 3:58
Lamentations 3 is one of the beloved chapters of Scripture. Jeremiah the prophet found comfort and help from the faithfulness of God. He spoke about God’s mercies being new every morning and exclaims, “Great is thy Faithfulness” in his life. We see another aspect about our Lord that comforted and encouraged Jeremiah. Jeremiah exalted the intercessory role of the Lord in his life. It is wonderful to know that someone is in your corner praying for you. It is even more comforting to know that the Lord has a prioritized ministry of continuous and ongoing prayer for us. This morning, we see “Jesus Our Intercessor.”
We see the Lord in His importance.
Jeremiah starts out with “O Lord.” His very name of "Lord" implies His preeminence and importance. God only desires one place in every heart: first place. "Lord" implies control. When He is Lord, we have given Him the keys to every room in our life. He is given top priority and in anything that comes our way, our questions should be, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” Paul said, "That in all things he might have the preeminence." No matter what it is, Christ must be preeminent and first in our life.
We see the Lord in His imputation.
Jeremiah said, “Thou hast redeemed my life.” Imputation means to place on the account of another. It is a financial term that is used with respect to creditors and debtors. All of our sins were placed entirely on Jesus. He paid our sin debt in full leaving us a zero balance. The idea of being redeemed means to purchase something for something better. We have been redeemed out of the slave market of sin. We have a full and complete salvation. Jeremiah was reflecting on the salvation that he had through the Lord. Jesus is the only perfect sacrifice for sins.
We see the Lord in His intercession.
Jeremiah said, “Thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul.” Jeremiah had a heavy heart for the nation of Judah and the fact that his people were going into 70 years of captivity. The Jewish leaders rejected his message and considered him a traitor. They wanted him imprisoned and even killed. It was a great comfort to Jeremiah that the Lord was pleading his causes. What he could not articulate with his mouth was being done through his great Intercessor. The Lord intercedes for us in His high priestly office. He is One Who ever liveth. He is One Who is completely able. He pleads our causes for deliverance, dismissal, and destination.
We see the Lord in His involvement.
Jeremiah was comforted that he was not forsaken by the Lord. The Lord took care of him every step of the way. The Lord sent Ebedmelech the Ethiopian to help rescue him out of prison. The Lord’s Word burned in his heart so that he would not quit the ministry. The Lord vindicated him over and over again with those who rejected and opposed him. Jeremiah saw complete involvement from the Lord. God loves you! We know that as for God, His way is perfect. Jeremiah was blessed by the total involvement and providence of God for him.
We have an incredible Intercessor! Stop for a moment today, and thank Him for bringing you before God the Father all the time. Be encouraged that He prays for us that our faith will not fail!
Have a prayer-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Judges 1-2