Intro

This week we conclude our 4-part series on why we pray.  In the first part of the series we discussed how we acknowledge the nature of God, and reaffirm our relationship with Him.  The second post highlighted how we can increase our faith through prayers of thanksgiving, acknowledging the blessings that God has brought into our lives.  Post three discussed the weapon of praise, and how through praising God in prayer we can enter into His presence, putting ourselves under His divine protection.  All of these are benefits we can derive from prayer, but in the final post on this topic we shift the focus from ourselves to our ministries, discussing how we can use prayer in service of God’s kingdom.

Scripture and Commentary

Psalm 106:19-23

19 At Mount Horeb they made a metal statue of a bull calf. They worshiped that statue of a god. 20 They traded their glorious God for a statue of a bull that eats grass.  21 They forgot the God who saved them.  They forgot the God who had done great things in Egypt.  22 They forgot the miracles he did in the land of Ham.  They forgot the wonderful things he did by the Red Sea.  23 So he said he would destroy them.  But Moses, his chosen one, stood up for them.  He kept God’s anger from destroying them.

Genesis 18:20-23

20 The Lord also said, “The cries against Sodom and Gomorrah are very great. Their sin is so bad 21 that I will go down and see for myself. I want to see if what they have done is as bad as the cries that have reached me. If it is not, then I will know.”22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom. But Abraham remained standing in front of the Lord. 23 Then Abraham came up to him. He said, “Will you sweep away godly people along with those who are evil? 24 What if there are 50 godly people in the city? Will you really sweep it away? Won’t you spare the place because of the 50 godly people in it? 25 You would never kill godly people along with those who are evil, would you? Would you treat them all alike? You would never do anything like that! Won’t the Judge of the whole earth do what is right?”  26 The Lord said, “If I find 50 godly people in the city of Sodom, I will spare it. I will spare the whole place because of them.”  27 Then Abraham spoke up again. He said, “I have been very bold to speak to the Lord. After all, I’m only dust and ashes. 28 What if the number of godly people is five fewer than 50? Will you destroy the whole city because there are five fewer people?”  “If I find 45 there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”  29 Once again Abraham spoke to him. He asked, “What if only 40 are found there?”  He said, “If there are 40, I will not do it.”  30 Then Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me. Let me speak. What if only 30 can be found there?”  He answered, “If I find 30, I will not do it.”  31 Abraham said, “I have been very bold to speak to the Lord. What if only 20 can be found there?”  He said, “If I find 20, I will not destroy it.”  32 Then he said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me. Let me speak just one more time. What if only ten can be found there?”  He answered, “If I find ten, I will not destroy it.”  33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left. And Abraham returned home.

Luke 11:5-8

5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend. You go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread. 6 A friend of mine on a journey has come to stay with me. I have no food to give him.’ 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked. My children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ 8 I tell you, that person will not get up. And he won’t give you bread just because he is your friend. But because you keep bothering him, he will surely get up. He will give you as much as you need.

These passages all demonstrate the role of an “intercessor”, from the Latin word for one who intervenes or “goes between” to plead the case of another.  Moses interceded for Israel after they built the golden calf.  Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom.  And in the parable from Luke, Jesus describes a neighbor that intercedes on behalf of a hungry friend.  Intercession is one of the most common- and most powerful- forms of prayer described in the Bible.  Note that in each case the intercessor intervenes out of his own willingness, rather than at the request of the beneficiary.

The Bible tells us that Christ and the Holy Spirit are interceding on our behalf:

Hebrews 7:24-25

24 But Jesus lives forever. So he always holds the office of priest. 25 People now come to God through him. And he is able to save them completely and for all time. Jesus lives forever. He prays for them.

Romans 8:26-27

26 In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. We don’t know what we should pray for. But the Spirit himself prays for us. He prays through groans too deep for words. 27 God, who looks into our hearts, knows the mind of the Spirit. And the Spirit prays for God’s people just as God wants him to pray.

And the Bible also commands us to intercede on behalf of others:

Matthew 5:44

44 But here is what I tell you. Love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you.

I Timothy 2:1-4

First, I want you to pray for all people. Ask God to help and bless them. Give thanks for them. 2 Pray for kings. Pray for everyone who is in authority. Pray that we can live peaceful and quiet lives. And pray that we will be godly and holy. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior. 4 He wants all people to be saved. He wants them to come to know the truth.

I John 5:16-17

16 Suppose you see any brother or sister commit a sin. But this sin is not the kind that leads to death. Then you should pray, and God will give them life. I’m talking about someone whose sin does not lead to death. But there is a sin that does lead to death. I’m not saying you should pray about that sin. 17 Every wrong thing we do is sin. But there are sins that do not lead to death.

Besides intercessory prayer, Christians are also called to what I refer to as prayers of agreement- the joining together in prayer to bring requests to God.

Matthew 18:18-19

18 “What I’m about to tell you is true. What you lock on earth will be locked in heaven. What you unlock on earth will be unlocked in heaven.19 “Again, here is what I tell you. Suppose two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for. My Father in heaven will do it for you. 20 Where two or three people gather in my name, I am there with them.”

James 5:14-16

14 Is anyone among you sick? Then that person should send for the elders of the church to pray over them. They should ask the elders to anoint them with olive oil in the name of the Lord. 15 The prayer offered by those who have faith will make the sick person well. The Lord will heal them. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 So confess your sins to one another. Pray for one another so that you might be healed. The prayer of a godly person is powerful. Things happen because of it.

So to conclude our series on why we pray with the knowledge that praying for others, both as an intercessor and in agreement with other believers, is meant to be a part of our walk with God.  And we have assurance from His Word that our prayers will be heard, and have a powerful impact.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, please share.

Be blessed.

K