Enlisting In Intercessory Praying
The troubles around us are plenty, our pleadings should be all the more abundant
Do we know, or need to remember, that intercessory praying is the sweetest praying our Father hears? This is because it is the nature of the prayers of his own Son. There are no prayers for Himself, but only us. “Do not doubt that Christ’s prayer is the most acceptable of all supplications,” says Spurgeon.
We continue to study the sermon—Intercessory Prayer, which draws it’s points from Job, who prayed for his friends. And God not only blessed those, but Job as well.
Our petitions for ourselves will be heard and accepted, but our prayers for others will be a more sweet offering to God because they are more like Christ’s. May we learn to cheerfully offer intercessory supplications.
“…your pleadings for others, having in them more of the fruits of the Spirit, more love, perhaps more faith, certainly more brotherly kindness, they will be as the sweetest oblation that you can offer to God, the very fat of your sacrifice.”
Intercessory prayer is exceedingly prevalent
Spurgeon does not mean that it is widely or commonly used, but that has often prevailed over adversity. What wonders it has wrought! he says.
“Intercessory prayer has stayed plagues. It removed the darkness which rested over Egypt; it drove away the frogs upon the land; it scattered lice and locusts which plagued the inhabitants of Zoan; it removed pestilence, and thunder, and lightning; it stayed all the ravages which God’s avenging hand did upon Pharaoh and his people.
“Intercessory prayer has healed diseases—we know it did in the early church. We have evidence of it in old Mosaic times. When Miriam had leprosy, Moses prayed, and the leprosy was removed. It has restored withered limbs. When the king’s arm was withered, he said to the prophet, “Pray for me,” and his arm was restored as it was before.
“Intercessory prayer has raised the dead, for Elijah stretched himself upon the child seven times, and the child sneezed, and the child’s soul returned. As to how many souls intercessory prayer has instrumentally saved, recording angel, you can tell! Eternity, you shall reveal!
There is nothing which intercessory prayer cannot do.
Spurgeon calls it a mighty engine we have in our hand. It is a tool for a carpenter, a brush for an artist, a pen for a writer. Prayer for others is fire before the alter, the incense before the mercy seat. Use it well, he says, use it continuously in faith, and surely you will prevail.
But perhaps you feel weak or powerless
Strength comes by exertion, by exercise. So, exercise in praying and strength of faith will come. “But besides, the prevalence of prayer does not depend upon the strength of the man who prays, but upon the power of the argument he uses.” The prayers of faith come from the Word. It is dropped into the ground like a seed, with hope, and it does not depend on your weakness or strength. The prayer will still prevail with God and bring down blessings from on high.
Job’s intercession was while he was still in his weakness, how can we refuse to intercede while on our couch? So, says Spurgeon, “see to it that you be not negligent in these exercises, but that you pray much for others even as Job prayed for his friends.”
Here is the thing: each of us found our salvation through someones intercessory prayer. Or our healing, our blessing, our job, or some grace given us because of the praying of our friends for us. If we have been so prayed for, should we not be in turn offering supplications for them?
The troubles around us are plenty, our pleadings should be all the more abundant. Intercession can do what voting cannot, what a pill will not, what a million dollar bank account doesn’t, what a bigger church building can’t, or what a lawsuit would fail to do.
Brothers and sisters in the Lord, let us pray for our friends.
Thank you for reading through this far. We pray this post is an encouragement to enlist in intercessory prayer. Please consider supporting us.
We will continue the sermon on Monday. Here is a previous article you might enjoy:
Until Thursday, grace and peace…
Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash