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Among his many other outstanding qualities, gifts and failings, one thing about Moses stands out far above the rest - he truly knew what intercessory prayer means. In Exodus 17, we are told of the battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites. Moses instructed Joshua to lead Israel to war against the Amalekites while he lifted up the battle before the Lord. In perhaps one of the most tangible examples of intercessory prayer, Moses lifted His hands toward the heavens, praying that God's will be done through the armies. As his arms were stretched towards the heavens, the tide of battle shifted in favor of the Israelites. However, when he became weak and lowered his hands, the Amalekites began to overpower their forces. In an example foreshadowing how we are to conduct prayer, Aaron and Hur stood alongside Moses, giving him a rock to sit on when he became weary and even held Moses' hands high with their own strength to ensure the Lord's victory on that day. This is the intercessory prayer that P.T. Forsyth once wrote about, saying, "The deeper we go down into the valley of decision the higher we must rise...into the mount of prayer, and we must hold up the hands of those whose chief concern is to prevail with God."
In the Old Testament, priests were called from a specific lineage, beginning with Aaron, continuing from the tribe of Levi. These priests were responsible for entering into the battle of intercessory prayer before the Temple of the Lord. This line remained for the calling of priests until Jesus came into this world. With His glorious death and Resurrection, Jesus entered into the priesthood, in the order of Melchizedek to always make intercessions (Heb 7:25). Paul reminds us that now, "There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1Tim 2:5)." Through Jesus' eternal priesthood, we are invited to share in the prayer of intercession on others' behalf. It is through the gift of the Holy Spirit that we become engrafted into the "royal priesthood," offering spiritual sacrifices and declaring the glory of God.
Jesus tells us that we are to ask and pray for anything in His name, so that our joy might be complete (John 16:24). However, we know that praying in Jesus' name is more than a simple formula which adds the words "in your name I prayer Jesus" to the end of any prayer. Instead, Foster tells us that praying in Jesus' name means much more. It is to pray in full assurance of the great work Christ accomplished. Donald Bloesch seconds Foster by writing, "To pray in the name of Christ means to pray in the awareness that our prayers have no worthiness or efficacy apart from His atoning sacrifice and redemptive mediation." We have been given His name to use with full authority to pray as Jesus would pray. We are given two examples of people who did not pray with this authority in the New Testament. The first was Simon Magnus who asked for the power to lay hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit. He wanted this for his own gain, which Peter realized and rebuked him (Acts 8:14-24). The second are the seven sons of Sceva. They saw Paul cast out demons in Jesus' name and tried the same by saying, "I adjure you, by the name of Jesus whom Paul proclaims." The evil spirit replied to them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?" as it then overpowered them, causing them to flee "naked and wounded (Acts 19:11-16)." Jesus tells us how we can know what He would pray for when He tells us, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7)." We must learn to abide in Him just as a branch must abide in the vine if it is to bear fruit.
"Learning" intercessory prayer is a life-long task that is not easily mastered, but it is persistence that wins in learning how to pray and in praying for others. Intercessory prayer is lifting others up to God for their well-being, their help, and it is an act of love. This prayer is not always easy, however, as it is a mix of divine influence and human autonomy. We pray for God's actions to be done, but we realize that the individual we are praying for has the final say in the matter. We are often not patient enough to wait upon the person, or on God, and often give up the fight, but we are admonished by several parables to never lose heart. Think of the old widow who comes before the judge, pestering him to give her justice from her adversary (Luke 18). Or think of the neighbor asking for bread to give to a visitor (Luke 11). The term used to describe this behavior is supplication - asking with earnestness, intensity and perseverance. John Calvin sums this up well saying, "We must repeat the same supplications not just twice or three times only, but as often as we have need...we must never be weary in waiting for God's help."
In intercessory prayer, we are responsible for lifting up the needs of those in our circle of influence or those that come into our lives. George Buttrick recommends that we begin the prayer of intercession by praying for our enemies, perhaps one of the hardest things to do. Some may keep a prayer journal and go through it daily/weekly to lift up those they know in prayer. Still others may rest in a time of prayer, asking God to place people on their hearts to pray for. As they come to mind, they will lift them up in prayer until the Holy Spirit gives them release from that concern. Whether you feel you pray in intercession too much and without guidance or too little with no desire to lift others up, we should pray for love. In the end, it is love that God has blessed us with that drives us to care enough for others to lift them up before the glorious Mediator, Christ Jesus. "By means of intercessory prayer, God extends to each of us a personalized, hand engraved invitation to become intimately involved in laboring for the well-being of others."
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