Prayer Journal
Friday, August 18, 2000
Job was a man who found merit in the eyes of the Lord as well as his enemies, including Satan. Yet that didn't stop Satan from attacking Job in order to prove a point. Satan wanted to demonstrate to God that men serve God only because of what God gives them. The test? Take everything that Job had away and watch him respond.
Satan was betting he could break Job, but he failed. The harder Satan pushed, Job drew even closer to God. Job did not understand what was happening to him, but he refused to give in to futility and never seriously considered suicide, even when his friends though it was a good idea.
This was a one time event, no? Surely Satan doesn't try to prove the same thing in the lives of the Christians today? Yes he does! 1 Peter 5:8 says, Satan seeks those he can devour. Rev 12:10 says that Satan is the accuser of the Saints. But who will defend the Saints from this attack?
I introduce you to "new" term today - at least, it may be a new meaning of a word you've heard before. The word is INTERCESSION. Most people use this word to denote, "The prayer of one person for another". While prayer may be what an intercessor does, it does not define him. Intercession defines the life of Jesus Christ, who is our divine intercessor:
"Therefore he (Jesus) is able to SAVE completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Heb 7:25
Jesus Christ intercedes for me. What a thought is that? Intercession is not defined by "words", rather it is ACTION, and POSITION. (The picture of Christ's intercession can be seen in Phil 2:5-11) I was not saved by Jesus' words. I was saved by his ACTION and protected daily by his POSITION.
I love my children and I pray for them a lot. But picture this: Suppose I was at the mall with one of my children and someone threatened to assault them. This person started advancing toward my child to do them physical harm. Would I kneel and pray or would I step in front of my child to defend them? Would I be praying? I don't think so. Instead, I would be looking for a way to stop the aggression, even if it meant using force to do so. That is intercession!
How then, is prayer related to intercession? I view it this way: My heart is tuned to the Holy Spirit and I listen for His voice. He "prompts" me by placing someone on my mind. I think about them in terms of their position in Christ. I whisper a short prayer and continue "listening". At some point,God may impress me of a need in their life, such as a hospital visit, phone call, or even an e-mail message of encouragement. Then, I do it! To me, prayer involves my MIND, WILL and EMOTION while intercession involves my FEET, HANDS and VOICE.
"God, thank you for your intercession on my behalf. I ask today that You make me an intercessor in the lives of those around me." WebServant
(1) Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society
(2) The images used herein were obtained from the Learning Company's ClickArt Christian Graphics Deluxe product, (c)1999 The Learning Company, Inc and its subsidiaries, 88 Roland Way, Novato, CA 94945 USA. All Rights Reserved.
