Copyright © 1976, 1977, 1997 — by Diane S. Dew
I. Great responsibility is involved in the ministry of
intercession.
A. Because the Lord God did not find anyone to "stand in the gap," to
intercede for the land, He was requited to pour out the judgment due its
disobedience. Ezekiel 22:30-31
B. He would not have destroyed Sodom, because of Abraham's persistence, had
He been able to find ten righteous men in the city. Genesis 18:23-32
C. Moses' intercession for the people of God, in pleading with the Lord for
mercy, held back the hand of God from consuming the nation in His wrath.
Exodus 32:7-14; Deuteronomy 9:8-9, 12-20, 23-27, etc.; Psalms 106:23
D. Because "prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God," Peter's
"chains fell off from his hands," "the iron gate ... opened to them of its
own accord," and he was led out of the prison by an angel of God! Acts
12:5-12, etc.
E. God told Jeremiah to search the city and see if he could find even one
righteous man; that then He would spare the entire city (chapter 5:1). But
Jeremiah knew that their hearts were all hardened against the Lord; that
they were reprobate, beyond the place of repentance (ch. 5:3). God told him
therefore to not even intercede for them (ch. 7:16; 11:14; 14:11).
II. God Himself seeks faithful
intercessors.
Psalms 14:2 (2 Chronicles 16 :9) "The Lord looked down from heaven upon the
children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek
God." Ezekiel 22 :30 "And l sought for a man among them, that should make up
the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not
destroy it: but I found none."
A. The ministry of intercession is of divine appointment. Isaiah 62:6 "I
have set . . ."
B. But it is the responsibility of each individual to take the initiative to
"stir himself up to take hold of" God. Isaiah 64:7
C. Scripture says that God was amazed "and wondered that there was no
intercessor." Isaiah 59:16
III. The Bible expresses in a descriptive way the very
nature of this ministry and the great heaviness of spirit and burden of
prayer experienced by those in intercession.
A. "Mine eye runneth down with rivers of water for the destruction of the
daughter of my people. Mine eye trickleth down, and ceaseth not, without any
intermission, till the Lord look down, and behold from heaven." Lamentations
3:48-50
B. Job cried, "Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, as a man
pleadeth for his neighbor!" Job 16:21
C. When God speaks of His intercessors ("watchmen") and their persistence in
prayer, He says that they "never hold their peace day nor night" and "give
Him no rest." Isaiah 62:6-7; Lamentations 2:18-19
D. "Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let
tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the
apple of thine eye cease. Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of
the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord ..."
Lamentation 2:18-19
E. "Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and
the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy people, O Lord, and give not Thine
heritage to reproach..." Joel 2:17
F. Moses told the children of Israel that in his intercession for them "I
stood between the Lord and you." Deuteronomy 5:5; Psalms 106:23
G. Jesus "began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; and saith unto them
(his disciples), My soul is exceeding sorrowful ... And He went forward a
little, and fell on the ground, and prayed . . ." Mark 14:33-35
IV. Certain people should be the
focus of intercessory prayer on a regular basis.
A. Leaders and government authorities. I Timothy 2 :1-2
B. The people of God. Joel 2:12-13, 17; Romans 1:9; Ephesians 6:18
C. Those in spiritual leadership. 2 Corinthians 1:11; I Thessalonians 5:25;
Hebrews 13:17-18a
1. That they may have boldness to speak the
truth. Ephesians 6:19-20
2. For their divine protection, spiritual strength, and victory over the
enemy. Luke 22:31-32 ; John 17:15; Acts 12:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2
3. That they will have an open door of
ministry. Romans 15:30-32; Colossians 4:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:1-2
D. The community in which we live, or any city
or nation. Psalms 112:6; Jeremiah 29:7; Daniel 9:3, 16-19
V. True intercession involves
more than prayer in general. The intercessor bears a sense of burden and
responsibility.
A. Great cries and tears in travail of prayer are known to those who have
felt the urgency of a burden revealed to them by God. Ezra 10:1; Nehemiah
1:4; Isaiah 22:4 Jeremiah 13:17; 23:9; Lamentations 2:18-19; 3:48-51; Joel
2:12-13, 17; Hebrews 5:7
B. It often involves fasting. Deuteronomy 9:8-9, 12-20, 12-27; Ezra 10:6;
Daniel 9:3-4; Joel 2:12-14, 17-18; Jonah 3:5-10
VI. Characteristics of a
successful intercessor.
A. Persistence and determination. Isaiah 62:6-7; Lamentations 2:18-19 "keep
not silence, and give Him no rest...day and night ..."
B. Patience. Isaiah 62:6-7; Lamentations 2:18-19
C. Faith. Isaiah 64:7
D. Severe self-discipline and selflessness (due to personal identification
with the need). Mark 14:33-35; Lamentations 3:48-50
For information on 70 other such studies, at
cost, write me at DS Dew, PO Box 340945, Milwaukee, WI 53234 or email me at
DianeDew@aol.com. All studies in this
series are available in printed, bound form at cost. (This is a ministry to
the Body of Christ, not a money-making venture.) For more information on
obtaining a hard copy of these articles & studies, go to the List of
Publications.
SOURCE:
Intercessory Prayer: A Study
in the Scriptures
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"Copyright ©1976, 1977, 1997 by Diane S. Dew"]. This data file may not be
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of a few brief quotations. Please give the following source credit:
Copyright ©1976, 1977, 1997 by Diane S. Dew, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
END
Intercessory Prayer For
Others (continued)
By David J. Stewart | March
2014
Praying
is entirely a matter of one's individual and personal Christian faith. How
much faith do you have in the promises of God? To the same degree that you
believe Heaven really exists, and that God rewards those who diligently seek
and serve Him by helping OTHERS, to that same degree you are going to be
passionately motivated to give to the work of Christ generously, joyfully,
consistently and prayerfully. There is no greater investment than
debt-leveraging everything
you own to invest in an eternal lifestyle.
I'm going to spend my life sowing the seed of
the gospel, donating money to Independent Fundamental Baptist Christian
missionaries on the field making a difference for God. I'm going to give TO
THE POOR (genuinely poor, and not because someone needs a pack of cigarettes
who lives in the park homeless). And I'm going to PRAY for OTHERS, begging
God to help them according to His will; and thus, I am laying up treasures
in Heaven by obeying the Word of God.
The Bible teaches that God
rewards LABOURING IN PRAYER. God COMMANDS us to pray WITHOUT CEASING
(1st Thessalonians 5:17). PRAYER IS WORK!!!
We hear
banks and money
institutions telling people to lay up worldly treasures, so that they
can enjoy a nice and carefree lifestyle when they retire (at age 95 if the
government gets their way). Investing money today in the various U.S.
retirement accounts for a nest egg that you hope to enjoy 30 years from now
is foolish. By doing a little homework, you'll learn that inflation is a
racket. For example: If college tuition had kept in pace with U.S.
inflation, a year's tuition for college in 2014 should be $8,000; but it's a
whopping $44,000 per student on average!!! In the U.S., 42 college
presidents get paid over $1,000,000 a year!!! And another 180 college
presidents get paid over $500,000 a year!!! What unethical men! They don't
care about the kids at all. It's all about money and the intellectual
arrogance of foolish men who are devoid in their souls of the wisdom of God
(which comes only from the fear of God).
We have God's solemn promise repeatedly in the
Scriptures that He will reward us an HUNDREDFOLD in eternity (Mark
10:29-30), and in this life with the blessing of a Christian CHURCH FAMILY
(which is priceless). I'd rather have a church family to love, give, serve,
help and pray for than to have all the money, fame and pleasures that this
world has to offer.
One thing I've learned about the Christian life
is that the ONLY way to lay up treasures in Heaven is by
SELLING THAT YE HAVE (sacrificial
giving) for the poor, and
sacrificial praying
IMPORTUNATELY for OTHERS. Intercessory prayer simply means that we are
praying for someone else. “Importunate” simply means that we are
consistently asking and begging God for the needs and lives of OTHERS.
Praying at length, even begging continually for the needs of OTHERS, goes
totally contrary to everything heathen society teaches today. The world
pursues self-improvement and doesn't care about others, aka, “SELF”
magazine.
The crazy world writes books on how to
manipulate your way to success. Many women have underwent expensive breast
enlargement surgeries (308,000 U.S. women in 2011), because statistics show
that big-breasted women get more jobs, higher paying jobs, more frequent
promotions, more respect in the workplace, et cetera. It's a sad but true
phenomena in America, evidencing just how decadent and perverse our culture
has deteriorated into over the past century. Woe unto America!!! God is not
the One Who is changing, for the Lord NEVER changes (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews
13:8). It is sinful men who have changed, and will continue to change. I
don't even recognize America today as compared to 35 years ago in 1979.
The essence of Jesus' teaching in Matthew
6:19-20 to lay up treasures in Heaven instead of down here upon earth, is
that everything that we do for OTHERS (who cannot return the favor) will be
rewarded. A poor person cannot give anything back to us, so our blessing is
secure in Heaven. However, if you buy a friend dinner and then he turns
around a week later and buys you dinner, your generosity was cancelled out.
There will be no reward because you received your reward. Hence, the idea
behind intercessory prayer is to pray for OTHERS who are spiritually either
unsaved, backslidden, immature, or incapacitated with bodily afflictions.
Jeremiah 5:1, “Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and
see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof,
if ye can find a man, if there be any that executeth judgment, that seeketh
the truth; and I will pardon it.” END
Importunity In Prayer
PRAYER MAIN PAGE
“THIS KIND”
James 4:2, “...ye have not, because ye ask not...”
What blessings have we
all forfeited by not praying? One of the most horrible thoughts
I have is one day hearing God say, “You could have had all these
blessings and helps, but you didn't pray.”
Pray for each other brethren,
because if we don't no one else is going to do it!
IMPORTUNITY IN PRAYER (begging God for OTHERS)
Job 16:21,
“O that one might plead
for a man with God,
as a man pleadeth for his neighbour!”
Pray briefly for your own
needs . . .
Matthew 6:7-8, “But
when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for
they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be
not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what
things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
Pray at length
for the needs of OTHERS . . .
Luke 11:5-8, “And he
said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go
unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three
loaves; For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I
have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer
and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children
are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you,
Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend,
yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many
as he needeth.”
The World At Our
Doorstep!
“Pray
without ceasing.” —1st Thessalonians 5:17
"And it
came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to
pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." —Luke 6:12
