“18 Then I fell down before the LORD for forty days and forty nights, as I had done the first time. I did not eat bread or drink water because of all the sin you had committed in doing what was evil in the sight of the LORD and provoking Him to anger. 19 For I was afraid of the anger and wrath that the LORD had directed against you, enough to destroy you. But the LORD listened to me this time as well. 20 The LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I also prayed for Aaron.”
An intercessor stands in the presence of God with a burden, pleading for God’s mercy, favor, or intervention on behalf of a person (s), nation (s), Church (s), an issue in the heart of God. This person’s posture has nothing to do with physical standing. Deuteronomy 9:18-20 above provides some clarification on posture. Moses fell down-indicates a sign of humility (attitude of the heart) before God, for 40 days/nights-time invested-dedication, bears the burden-the evil of his people, standing before God to avert the wrath of God (Alignment with God’s will-God is not interested in the death of a sinner) so that they will not be destroyed, never a one-time prayer- God listened time and again. There is no indication of personal gain or identification, but a heart of love and empathy devoted in the place of prayer.
Psalm 106:23 “ So He said He would destroy them—had not Moses His chosen one stood in the breach before Him, to turn His wrath away from destroying them.” Moses positioned himself between the righteous judge and the rebellious people. He pleaded for the mercy of God, reminded God of his covenant with his people.
According to Romans 8:26, nobody knows how to pray if the spirit of God is not praying through them. Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Therefore, we all must trust and depend on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead us in the place of prayer, else it will just be words and not life, as well as a waste of time that is not spiritually productive.
An Intercessor is a warrior who is always spiritually alert and ready to stand in the gap as needed. Ephesians 6:18 “Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” An Intercessor walks in righteousness, vigilance, and ensures that he/she is not allowing sins to block the assignment. James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”
An intercessor does not give up so easily. He/she is ready for the task and the risk associated with the task. He/she is consistent, persistent, and stays on for whatever length of period it must take for a breakthrough. Abraham in Genesis 18:22-33, went before God on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah, begging God to free the cities if there were righteous people.
Jesus Christ is our intercessor in the New Testament and we can also see the posture of an intercessor when he takes a look at him. Jesus’s death and resurrection gave the sinner-man a way to reconcile with the righteous God. Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” He has not stopped interceding for us, he is our advocate who sits at the right hand of the Father ensuring that we get justice. Romans 8:34 “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
1 John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One”. Jesus the intercessor is our mediator, he replaces the Old Testament ones like the high priest, Abraham, and Moses, who stood before God on behalf of the people. Jesus has come and bridged the gap between God and man that is caused by sin. 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
Additionally, we see again the predication of the future role of Jesus as an intercessor before he even went to the cross. Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” Jesus humbled himself and took the place of the sinner, and God honored him. He defeated sin and death, disarmed Satan by giving himself as a prefect sacrifice, he identifies with sinner and death was not the end, he still intercedes for us.
Apostle Paul was a great intercessor and in several places we see his posture. Ephesians 1:15-20 “15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms.” This is someone who Loves and serves God and want others to follow the same. He does so by taking their weaknesses and presenting them before God. He brings before God what he thinks the church needs to know God so that they can benefits all what is there. He is not complaining but praying so that there is transformation. Other references of Paul’s prayers: Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 1:9-12, and 1 Timothy 2:1-2. Apostle Paul then goes on to encourage us to intercede as well. Ephesians 6:18-20 “18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” Colossians 4:3-4 “3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.” This is not the prayer at the breakfast table, but deep confrontation of wickedness standing against the gospel.
An intercessor comes to God in confidence and boldness but humbled posture. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Exodus 32: 11- 14 “11 But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” 14Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.”
God will not do anything without informing a man he can trust, we have seen this in Abraham and Moses. He announced to Abraham his plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and Abraham stood in the gap although the outcome was not good, but there was a man. Jeremiah 18:7-10 “7 If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, 8 and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. 9 And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, 10 and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.” When an intercessor stands in the place of prayers, he/she takes the eyes of God off judgement and places it on mercy. Ezekiel 22:30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” God is still looking for such a person today. An intercessor is not a church prayer group, but a man standing irrespective of who else is praying.
Prayer Points
There is no intercessory life without the Holy Spirit. Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you to become effective in the place of intercession: John 16:13: "But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come"
In the days of Abraham, Moses Samuel, Paul, God could count on them to stand in the gap. What about today, can God trust you with his burden? 1 Samuel 12:23 “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way.”
Sometimes, certain things must die in us to see clearly who God is and what he has been showing us for years. For Isaiah, King Uzziah had to die. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to search you and bring to death whatever has stood in your way of answering the call like Isaiah. Isaiah 6:1 & 8 “ 1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. “8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Amos the prophet stood and interceded for mercy on behalf of the nation of Israel. He recognized the sin of the land but did not question them, rather went before God in boldness asking God to stop, asking God what they will eat if you destroy the land. Ask the Lord to open your spiritual senses to see and hear him. God did not show Amos what was coming just to see and know that he is a man of God. He trusted him to act. Ask God to give you the heart of a selfless, bold and dedicated intercessor: Amos 7:1-6 “ 1This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. 2 When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small” 3 So the Lord relented. “This will not happen,” the Lord said. 4 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. 5 Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!” 6 So the Lord relented. “This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.
There is still an open invitation to intercede for God’s people. Are you ready to answer that call? God is a God of mercy and compassion. If we pray, of course he will intervene. Ezekeil 22:30 “I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.”
What made these people of old to be so passionate about standing in the gap for God’s people? Ask God for that grace he placed upon Moses, Abraham, Amos, Paul etc.
To build an intercessory life, one must develop intimacy with God; in the place of prayer, word, and worship. Ask God for the grace to draw closer to him so that he can shape us into who he wants.
An intercessor displays some qualities such as love, obedience, faithfulness, humility, dedication, boldness etc. Ask God to examine you and removed anything that is out of line.
God hears prayers offered in faith, he knows us when we are in doubt. Ask God to help our hearts to believe and trust his word. Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
An intercessor comes to God in confidence and boldness, but humbled posture. Ask God for help Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”