Prayer of Intercession

Jeremiah 15:1 “Then the LORD said to me: ‘Even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Send them away from My presence! Let them go!’

Prayer is one of the key aspects that every christian must have in their life. In the above passage we see Jeremiah offers a prayer of interession. Since the people went away from the Lord, Jeremiah prays for them so that they should not miss out any blessings. He prays that the people does not learn the ways of the gentiles. When the Lord responds to him he brings Moses and Samuel who were the two greatest intercessors in Israel’s history. In the old testament times, their prayers turned away God’s wrath in critical moments. However the Lord says even if Moses and Samuel were to stand before Me, My heart would not go out to this people. Our God tells Jeremiah that even they cannot change his mind. The sin of Judah had crossed the line and which is creating an issue. At this point, the prayer of intercession is required. The word “intercede” comes from Latin inter (between) and cedere (to go) literally “to go between.” The Lord clearly stated that the acts of the people were displeasing in the sight of God. The reason for the Lord's relutance is recorded in Jeremiah 15:5-9 where we see Judah has forsaken God and provoked Him with idols. This was the reason why their strength, joy, and blessings are taken away. Therefore, we can learn a main truth that prayer without repentance has no effect. Therefore we need to become people who intercede and drive the blessings from God.

1. Moses - Bold Intercession

Exodus 32:13 Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will
give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’” Num 14:13–20

When Israel sinned with the golden calf, Moses stood in the gap. He stood between God and the people and offers a prayer of intercession. He used clear cut points and prayed for his people. Like how advocates pleads before the Judge by mentioning the relevant sections in the law. In Exodus 32:12, Moses pleaded based on God’s covenant and reputation among the nations. In Exodus 32:13 Moses appeals not to Israel’s worthiness, but to God’s own sworn word. In Genesis 22:16-18 God’s promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were unconditional. When all these things were highlighted, God could not deny anymore. Our Lord God relented because Moses prayed and the people turned back to Him. We the children of the Lord, should go through the Bible to quote like this to offer the prayer of intercession. In Isaiah 62:6-7 tells us to give God “no rest” until he fulfills His word. We should never give rest to God. We must offer this prayer of intercession and must not give rest to the Lord. Therefore, we need to know a Bold, covenant-based prayer is powerful, but it requires a repentant people.

We see Moses is not informing God of something He forgot, he is aligning with God’s covenant purpose. He reminds him of the covenant that he promised with his people. We read in Hebrews 4:16 'Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.' We see the Lord invites us to come boldly to the throne of grace. This is not arrogance, it’s faith that God will keep His word. A True intercession is not begging for mercy blindly, it’s standing on the legal ground of God’s covenant.

2. Samuel - Faithful Intercession

1 Samuel 7:9 Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and sacrificed it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. He cried out to the LORD on Israel’s behalf, and the LORD answered him.

Here we see Samuel offers a sacrifice and the Lord answered him. Samuel prayed for Israel’s deliverance from the Philistines.(1 Sam 7:5–9;,12:19-23). He continually interceded, even when the people sinned by asking for a king. God answered Samuel because the people responded with repentance and sacrifice. When he offered a faithful prayer, the people understood and they repented for their sins. When we say sacrifice is indicates a sense of surrendering whole heartedly. When people realised their mistakes and humbled themselves, that made the Lord to give a response to their prayer. The pattern of Samuel’s prayer is Repentance -> Sacrifice -> Intercession- >God’s Answer. Many saints of God who lived before us has offered a faithful intercession.

3. The Answer Divine Intervention in Battle

1 Samuel 7:10 'While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the LORD thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites.'

When we pray like Samuel, that prayer will not be a normal prayer. We read in 1 Samuel 7:2 Israel had gathered at Mizpah to repent and seek God after years of defeat. They were seeking true repentance and the ark of the covenant was taken away. That was the time when Samuel leads them in sacrifice and intercession. We read in 1 Samuel 7:10 Right in the middle of worship, the enemy attacks but God responds in a way no one expected. The answer of the Lord was immediate and decisive. When sacrifice and prayer align, heaven moves on earth. It is like sending a message with both a seal and a signature, the sacrifice is the seal of covenant, the prayer is the signed request. Together, they carry authority before God. When people heard the thunder they were troubled. We see a super natural work in this situation. The Lord himself descended and gave an answer to their prayer. There will be an divine intervention in all the aspects of our lives.

Even in our lives, the Lamb is already offered who is Jesus Christ. We conclude our prayers by saying the name of Jesus which adds more value to our prayer. Therefore, our role is to cry out in faith for our families, churches, and nation. Our God still answers when His people come through the blood of the Lamb and pray with a whole heart. “The cry God hears is the one that comes through the Lamb He gave.” A doctor can prescribe medicine, but if the patient refuses to take it, no amount of pleading will bring healing. In the same way, God offers mercy, but if we refuse to turn from sin, even the greatest prayers won’t save us from the consequences. Moses could stand in the gap, Samuel could stand in the gap. But if the heart refuses to
change, there’s no gap left to stand in. Today is the day to repent, to seek God’s mercy, and to turn while the door is still open. We read in Isaiah 55:6 “Seek the LORD while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.” Amen!!!