Once upon a time, in a small village nestled in the rolling hills of the countryside, there lived a young girl named Maria. She was known throughout the village for her gentle nature, kind heart, and unwavering faith in God. The village faced serious drought. Maria knew that something had to be done about the drought. She decided to take matters into her own hands and asked the village people if she could lead a prayer service for rain. With heads bowed and hearts heavy, they prayed for the skies to open up and bless the land with the life-giving rain.
But as the days went by, the sun continued to blaze down mercilessly, and the fields grew even more barren. The villagers began to lose hope, and some even whispered that perhaps their prayers were not being heard.
She then snuck out one night and prayed on top of a hill while one of the village elder joined her. They started pouring water from the village well onto the parched land, and other villagers joined them. As they worked, rain poured down in a torrential deluge, saving their crops. Maria became known as an intercessor who combined prayer with action.
We have no problem in presenting our list of needs before God, The most difficult part is Intercessions, Bible teaches all of us to do act as intercessor for others and pray.
1 Timothy 2:1 (NIV) 'I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— '
Paul writes here to have our effective prayer with
Petitions - "Petitions" refers to a document or set of details that contain requests from many people, with the aim of prompting a specific action or change.
Prayers - the words that you use (by Holy Spirit) when you speak to God / The act of speaking to God
Intercessions - the act of using your influence to make someone in authority forgive someone else or save them from punishment
Thanksgiving - Giving thanks giving to lord for his deliverance.
There are few examples from Bible we can learn
Sodom & Gomorrah - Prayers of Abraham for Lot
As Abraham and Lot (Abraham nephew) separated out, Lot went to live a life in Sodom and Gomorrah, when he went to Sodom and Gomorrah it was very nice from outside, there is no record of Abraham hearing on how Lot was doing until Lord spoke to him on the outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah which we read in Genesis 18:20 till end of the chapter.
Genesis 18:20-32 (NIV) - 'Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.” The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord . Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?” “If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.” Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?” He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?” He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?” He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.” '
There are few things to learn from Abraham about his Intercessions with Lord
Abraham remained standing before the Lord - The Lord said “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down” as he hears the men turn and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord. No matter what the situation outside was he did not give up hope, Abraham did not loose his hope, He stood before the Lord
Pray for others from his Heart & Love - Genesis 18:23-24 (NIV)“Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?” He intercedes for the Righteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah even when Lord was angry by pleading for 50 People, the Lord answered him The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”
Prayed with Zeal / Passion and Love - He humbled himself to plead to God ““Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes,” he asks God to spare them if he found 45 people, then he once again asks then goes to 30, then to 20, then to 10 people. The zeal to save Sodom and Gomorrah was so high he pleads to God 4 times.
Result of Abraham intercession prayer - Lot and his family was saved (Except his wife who looked back) we read the Genesis 19:29 (NIV) - … So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.
Below is the summary of what happened in Sodom and Gomorrah
Genesis 19:24-29 (NIV) - 'Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens. Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land. Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord . He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace. But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt. So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived. '
Daniel Prayer
Another example of Intercession prayer is Daniel’s prayer for the desolation of Jerusalem
Daniel 9:3-10,16-19 (NIV) 'So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land. “Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you. We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord , because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. “Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” '
There are few things to learn from Daniels Intercession Prayer
Humbles himself & Others before God - Daniel humbles and praises God, later he intercedes for others and humbles others to say they have also rebelled against God - “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
Prays for others with Zeal - Daniel pleads to God for the sins of his fellow people and asks for God’s mercy - The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
Pleading prayer to listen for others - He pleads on their behalf and asks God to forgive the sins and asks for mercy - Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy. Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.” '
Practical Tips to start with intercessory prayer.
Here are a few biblical principles for effective intercessory prayer.
Pray for others from the heart, with deep feeling and sincerity. Pray to God to have the burden in the heart for someone whom God prompts to pray.
Pray for others regularly. - Jesus taught the same in “Lord’s Prayer” where Jesus told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread”, We should pray for our needs and the needs of others every day.
Pray for others with faith, knowing that God has all power and loves the people we are praying for. Pray with faith that God can transform the situation of the person you are praying for.
Pray for others with love. Prepare a prayer list, the list that represent people with deep needs, struggles and feelings.
Pray for others fervently—with intensity, zeal and passion. When we pray fervently the prayers are Powerful and effective like how its called in James 5:16 (NIV) - 'Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. '
Pray for others with a desire to help where we can. Many times we may not be able to help physically, but through prayers we can help break thru the struggles they have
Pray for others occasionally with fasting. When a situation is very serious fast for others and pray.
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