Intercessory Prayer

[~candice~]

Where does the doctrine surrounding intercessory prayer come from? I hear a lot about it, people claiming to have it as a gift, etc, but I read surprisingly little about it in my bible. I see Jesus, in His role as our High Priest, interceeding for us... but the interceeding that we do, isn't mentioned much. I did find this:

1Ti 2:1 MKJV

1 First of all, then, I exhort that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men,

which I thought was interesting... intercessions are then different from normal prayers? There are times in my prayers, that I am drawn to pray with such strong conviction that it surprises me. At these times, when I pray, I see tremendous answer to prayer. Not because I am special, but because the prayers (I believe) are in the will of God. Is this all it is? Pleading to God on behalf of others... but how is that different to normal prayer?

I don't see any "intercessory" prayer in the Lord's prayer (unless I am looking for the wrong thing). But there are instances where people in the old testament have prayed with such strong conviction, and boldness (appears to me almost arrogant.. I know that is not the right word but I can't quite figure out what the right word is!) coming to the Lord with their appeals. Is this where it comes from perhaps?

Is it the earnestness we see in Elijah?

Jas 5:16-18 MKJV

16 Confess faults to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous one avails much.

17 Elijah was a man of like passion as we are. And he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for the time of three years and six months.

18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth caused its fruit to sprout.

[nebula]

intercessions are then different from normal prayers?

What's a "normal prayer"?

Seriously - think about what you are asking.

Actually, what we see is that there are different types of prayer - intercession just being one of them.

Intercession is simply where you are interceding on behalf of someone else before the throne of God.

[~candice~]

intercessions are then different from normal prayers?

What's a "normal prayer"?

Seriously - think about what you are asking.

Serious question, and I did think about it, because 1 Tim 2:1 seems to distinguish between "prayer" and "intercession". It's also a distinction that many christians make.

[nebula]

Serious question, and I did think about it, because 1 Tim 2:1 seems to distinguish between "prayer" and "intercession". It's also a distinction that many christians make.

OK, I see what you are saying. Silly me!

Off the top of my head, I can't think of the Scriptures. But I know that intercession tends to be more intense than "prayer" in that regards.

When someone prays for another, it is along the lines of: "Lord, I ask You to bless so-and-so, touch their life, . . . ."

When someone intercedes for another, it tends to involve pleas, tears, falling on your face before the Lord, crying out for His mercy, not letting go until the Lord answers.

Make sense?

[OneLight]

Think of when Jesus prayed for His disciples in John 17:6-19

Jesus Prays for His Disciples

[~candice~]

So perhaps it's just a label we have invented for more passionate pleas to the Lord on behalf of someone else?

I see Elijah being quite passionate (he earnestly prayed) and yet it wasn't called "intercession", just prayer.

[OneLight]

This may help ... http://www.blueletterbible.org/search/tran...ssion&t=KJV

[~candice~]

I find it cool that the Spirit doesn't just pray for us, but the more passionate plead - an intercession for us!

Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.

[Fez]

I know faith is faith and it should be (is) a constant.

But I get where you are coming from andy. I pray like we all do, most often as not for others and seldom do I pray or ask for prayer for myself.

But. There are times when I am "pushed" to pray for someone, even if they have not asked, and I don't even know what the problem is, just that they need prayer. Now the bible says that the Spirit will pray for us with groaning, and I know that is not the same thing. However there are times that the Spirit guides me to pray, I know this for a fact. How? There are times when I pray for someone, when I just "know" that the prayer has been answered before I even pray.

I believe that this is the Spirit using us for a specific purpose, for a specific time.

An example is that I have seen God heal through my prayer (I mean with my own eyes, only once), I don't know in what way my other healing prayers have been answered (I am sure they have, without my knowledge), but the once, when I laid hands on the person, I knew before I prayed that she would be healed. And God healed her almost instantly (nothing huge like a leg growing ), but a really bad stomach, curled up in a ball in discomfort for almost 12 hours on and off.

I laid hands on her stomach and God healed, and I knew He would before I prayed. This was the Spirit using me for a short time. This was intercession by the Spirit.

My nephew, a youth pastor, healed my niece of an eye that had been squint (badly), since birth. Amiee is 16, and Michael felt the need to pray at a youth meeting. Her eye is now straight, and it happened while he prayed. This I also know for a fact because I have know her since birth. She said to me that it felt like someone was physically pulling her eye towards the right in her socket, but with no pain. This was intercession by the Spirit. Michael says it, and so does Amiee.

How do I usually pray? Not the tears and supplication that others mention. I am more direct, I attack.

Why attack. Because Jesus gave me the power to attack, He made me an heir when I was saved. And 100% of the time where do our problems come from? Not from God, but the enemy, and I attack the enemy in the name of Almighty God. Not once did Jesus heal without commanding the illness to be gone. And it is not arrogance or pride that allows us to pray this way, it is Jesus who showed us we can.

We are fighting a spiritual war against powers and principalities here, and one fights a war by attack.

And sometimes the Spirit intercedes before, during and after a prayer, because you can feel His presence and you just "know".

Sometimes though when we are weak, a "prayer" is not a prayer, and as Spurgeon said -"pray hot air and you get mist for answers"

This might be controversial, but just as I will not break bread if I feel I am not in the right place with God at the time (that is scriptural), so it is with me and prayer. If you enter into prayer being not right with God, and having doubts, and doing it by "rote", don't even bother, because it is then not a prayer in my opinion.

Nothing makes me more despondent than churches where the pastor reads the Lord's prayer and the congregation mumble along after him. Is this prayer? In 90% of the cases I doubt it.

Sorry I am on a roll here... On worthy, thats why I type out my prayer. I personally don't like just saying ..."praying'. This is a personal thing, but I think it edifies the body, and the person being prayed for, to "hear" the prayer, but thats just me....

Blessings

[nebula]

Thanks, Fez!

My understanding of intercession comes from the process of observing and doing, not a "3 point sermon", and late last night I was fumbling for how to explain what the doing is.

I hope what Fez said makes it more clear, andy.