Grace and peace, to the saints of God, and greetings to the children of disobedience.

Prayer is very important in the life of a Christian; and it is, without a doubt, one of the greatest privileges given to those who name the name of Christ.  Prayer is our way of talking to God, who is our Father.  And just as we go to our earthly fathers when we want something from them, so do we pray to our Heavenly Father when we want something from Him. 

 

We pray when we need a blessing from God.  We pray when we need protection from God.  We pray when we need healing from God.  We pray when we need forgiveness from God.  And we pray when we want to thank Him for His goodness.  But how often do we consider that it has also been given to the body of Christ to pray the will of God in the life of another?  This is known as intercessory prayer.  And it is more than just talking to God.  It is exercising the power of God in the lives of others.

Jesus wants us to care for one another.  When asked which was the greatest of the commandments, Jesus said,

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.

“And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39). 

It must be noted that Jesus was not only talking to believers, but to unbelievers as well.  Jesus wants all men to love one another.  In John Chapter 13, when giving His final instructions to His disciples before He was to suffer and die on the cross, Jesus said,

“A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 13:34).

He repeated this commandment twice in Chapter 15:

“This is my commandment: That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (v. 12)

“These things I command you, that ye love one another” (v. 17).

To love others, then, is not an option for the Christian.  We must love one another.  And the most loving thing that a Christian can do for another is to pray for him.  I can illustrate this with a very practical example.  Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that you needed a favor or had a problem that could be easily fixed if you had the right connections.  Let us say that a friend of yours was also a good friend of a king or president.  One of the best things that friend could do for you would be to mention your name to that king or president and try to get your problem fixed. 

So it is with the Christian.  We have the ear of the King of Kings, the President of Presidents, the Potentate of Potentates.  And our God is able to do whatever He wants whenever He wants.  So, if it is God’s will to help those for whom we pray, He will do it.  Clearly then, the best thing that we can do for our friends and family both in Christ and in Adam is to pray for them and intercede on their behalf.

In the eyes of God, there are only two kinds of people: those who know Jesus, and those who do not.  But for the sake of our discussion, these can be further broken down into the following groups:

1. Our family, friends, and loved ones
2. Our brethren in the Lord
3. The Church
4. Those in government
5. Our enemies
6. Everyone else

INTERCESSION FOR THE LOST

With respect to the lost, we should pray most importantly for their salvation.  The Bible says that God wants all men to be saved:

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

We should, therefore, pray that our lost friends and family will one day repent of their sins and accept the Lord Jesus as their Savior.  This is love in action and is especially true in the case of those family and friends with whom we do not associate or who choose not to associate with us.  I have had family members accuse me of being haughty and judgmental, because I choose not to associate with them regularly.  But the Bible does not compel us to associate with those in the world when they are living in wickedness.  What the Bible says is that we should love them and, when and if possible, share the Gospel with them.  Then their blood will not be on our head (Ezekiel 3:18-19).

So once we have given them the Gospel, our obligation has been fulfilled.  From that point the most we can do is to stay in prayer for their salvation. 

INTERCESSION FOR OUR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES

The Book of Job gives a great example of intercessory prayer.  Chapter One tells us that Job often prayed for his children:

“And it was so, when the days of [Job’s children’s] feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt sacrifices according to the number of them all: For Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts.  Thus did Job continually” (Job 1:5).  

This passage can teach us some important things about intercession. 

First, note that Job offered sacrifices “according to the number” of his children.  That means that he sacrificed at least one animal for each child rather than one animal for them all.  Likewise, we should also pray according to the number of our family.  We should single out each person for whom we are praying, and pray for them by name.  We shouldn’t merely say a blanket prayer for all of them.  When we pray for a person by name, we show how much we care for him as an individual, and not merely a member of a group.  We imitate God’s attitude towards us, because he sees us as individuals, and has numbered every hair on each of our heads.

Secondly, note that Job prayed for his children during “the days of their feasting.”   This shows that he knew something of his children’s lives and habits.  Job knew that the chances that one of his children could blaspheme God increased while they were drinking wine and making their hearts merry.  So Job prayed for his children particularly during the time of their revelry.  He tailored his prayers to their circumstances. 

Likewise, intercessory prayers should never be static.  When we intercede for others, our prayers should be according to our knowledge of their lives and circumstances.  Someone may be going through a divorce, starting a new job, having problems with substance abuse, expressing doubts about God, depressed, running with the wrong crowd, having a baby, or any number of things.  Most people’s lives are dynamic and fluid and our prayers for them should emulate their lives.  

Thirdly, note that Job prayed for his children “continually.”  Job knew that God heard his prayers on behalf of his children, yet he did not take it for granted that he did not have to continue in prayer for them.  

This is important for us to understand.  We must continually pray for our children.  In the United States, Germany, and, I would wager, the world, the education system exists expressly for the purpose of indoctrination.  It exists to prepare children to assume their role in the New World Order.  It exists to destroy their faith in God and supplant that faith with a faith in man.  Later, once the Antichrist is firmly in power, that faith will be finally supplanted with a forced worship of the God of the Antichrist. 

It is, therefore, of utmost importance that parents intercede for their children.  Parents must pray that God will insulate their children from the antichrist propaganda that is being forced on them in the schools.  Parents must pray against the satanic indoctrination and symbolism that is being inculcated into their minds through television programming.  And parents must pray that God will open their understanding to Satan’s many devices. 

I cannot overemphasize intercession for our children, our friends, and our relatives.  It is not only for their benefit, but for ours also.  Scripture says:

“[P]ray one for another, that ye may be healed” (James 5:16). 

This is generally taken to mean that we should pray for each other’s healing when we are sick.  But what it also says to me is that God wants us to care for others and not just for ourselves.  It says to me that when we show genuine concern for the welfare of others, God heals the breaches in our own lives.  This has biblical precedent.

In Chapter 42 of the Book of Job, we are told that at the end of Job’s trial, God healed Job and restored all that He had taken from him; even two-fold.  But what is often overlooked is when God effected Job’s healing:

“And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: (Job 42:10).  

As you can see, it was not until Job prayed for his friends that God healed him.  The reason God wanted Job to pray for them was because they had spent forty chapters trying to convince an innocent man that he was a hypocrite and had incurred the wrath of God by being a self-righteous sinner.  Then God shows up and lets these men know that they “had not spoken of [God] the thing which [was] right” (Job 42:8).  Notice that God was very careful to point out that Job was the only one of the four of whom He approved, even going so far as to use the phrase “my servant Job” three times (v.v. 7-8).  Job was vindicated.

Now the common attitude when we have been unjustly accused and then proven innocent is to say “Nah, nah, na-nah, nah!”  God did not want righteous Job to adopt this attitude. Job had towed the line the whole time he was suffering, never once sinning with his lips, and God didn’t want him to do so now.  God could just as easily have demanded that Job’s friends get on their knees and beg His forgiveness.  But He had Job pray for them.  Why? Because he wanted Job to love them, and praying for someone is the most loving thing you can do for them.  Besides this, Job represented God, and forgiving his friends is a picture of God forgiving us.

This is very significant and highly suggestive of what our attitude should be when we have been wronged by others.  We should forgive them and pray that God would also forgive them.  God wants us to “love the brethren.”  This brings me to the next group of those for whom we should pray.

INTERCESSION FOR THE BRETHREN

Our brethren in the church need intercession, as many who name the name of Christ are sinning as much as those in the world.  It has become the custom of many Christians to condemn a brother who has been caught in the act of sinning, but the Bible teaches that we should pray for such:  

“If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and He shall give him (the praying brother) life for them that sin not unto death” (1 John 5:16).

The sin unto death is the “unpardonable sin”: blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.  God says that He will grant the praying saint forgiveness for his sinning brother.  Notice that God did not in any way qualify this forgiveness.  It is a promise.  God said that if you see a brother sin, you have but to ask God to forgive him, and He will do it.  This is a tremendous blessing and has been given us for the unification of the body of Christ.

How many of us have seen one of our brothers in the faith do something he has no business doing, but instead of praying for the brother, we choose to condemn him.  Or we pray for him, but we pray in the wrong way or for the wrong reason.  I imagine one reason we do this is because we are ignorant of the will of God.  But as we have just seen, God’s will is that we pray for that brother and not condemn him.  And each of us would like the same consideration if we were in that brother’s place.  And this is not limited to our lay brothers and sisters, but it also applies to the pastor and others in leadership. 

Do you see the importance of this?  How many Christians sin and do not confess that sin to Jesus?  Unconfessed sin can be a source of great difficulty in a Christian’s life.  But if Jesus will forgive a brother for another, then that sin is confessed and the brother will not have to suffer the spiritual fallout from his sin.  This is great news!

Now it stands to reason that after praying for the brother we confront him in a loving way and let him know that what he is doing is wrong, and that he should confess this sin.  But Scripture also says that after the third admonition—the third warning—we are to avoid that brother, because he is willfully sinning against the Lord.  Until then, though, we must strive to correct him in a godly fashion.

This is one of the ways that “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  And is very significant because often we don’t know what God’s will is when we pray for someone, which is why we always pray that the will of God be done (Luke 22:42).  But, in this instance, God has told us that if we pray for an erring brother to be forgiven for his sin, then his sin will be forgiven.  We need not wonder what the will of God is.  This is a huge blessing.

Jesus gave us a very good example of another way that we should pray for the brethren.  Speaking to Simon Peter, Jesus says:

“Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not” (Luke 22:31-32). 

This is a good example of intercessory prayer in spiritual warfare.  Jesus told Simon Peter that Satan had designs on him.  Satan wanted to destroy Peter’s faith, because he knew that Peter was going to be greatly used of God.  So, he tried to destroy Peter’s testimony by having him deny Jesus three times.  But Jesus prayed for Peter and, though he hit a bump in the road, Peter emerged as a “pillar of the faith.” 

It is extremely important to note that Jesus did not pray that Simon Peter be spared the temptation by the devil, even though He knew full well what that temptation would be.  Temptations and tribulations, though often psychologically, emotionally and even physically challenging, are permitted by God to strengthen us.  So it is not advisable to pray that an individual not go through the trial, but rather that they come through that trial stronger, wiser, and, more importantly, with their faith intact.

This is an example of how we should pray for pastors.  Good pastors are constantly engaged in spiritual warfare.  Not only are they charged with regularly feeding their flock, but they have to pray for their congregants’ wellbeing, pray for others’ salvation, pray for the sick, pray for the afflicted, and pray for strength in the face of myriad temptations.  And besides the church family, pastors still have to take care of their own families.  They desperately need our prayers.

The devil is relentless when it comes to pastors as well as evangelists, Christian counselors, and anyone else with a burden for the lost.  And the stress can sometimes be overwhelming.  Pastors have left the ministry and even the faith because they could not handle the steady buffeting of Satan.  We often fail in our duty to consistently pray for our pastors, but we need to work toward being better at this, because they desperately need our prayers.

Anther group that needs intercessory prayer are babes in Christ—the newly converted—because Satan will be working overtime to destroy their faith.  It is often the case that when a person becomes a Christian, he will get lost in the midst of the church’s many responsibilities and come to feel as though he were merely another face in the crowd.  (This is especially true in churches that have very large congregations.)   New converts need constant attention.  They need to be constantly fed and nourished up in the word of God and their growth monitored.  And they need to be constantly prayed for that Satan will not derail their faith.

INTERCESSION FOR THE CHURCH

An example of intercessory prayer for the church can be found in Jesus’ Great Priestly Prayer, found in John 17.  Jesus, prays:

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil” (v. 15).

Here, Jesus prays for the protection of the church from spiritual and physical evil.  Likewise, we should pray a hedge of protection around our brethren in the Lord.  We should pray that God will protect them from the efforts of the Wicked One and the children of disobedience to harm or destroy them.

Jesus continues:

“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth” (v. 17).

Everything begins with the truth.  The fear of the Lord is only the beginning of wisdom.  Believers must continue to be sanctified (holy and separated unto God) to live a victorious life.  This passage tells us that sanctification comes with the knowledge of the truth.  This is called discernment, the knowledge of good and evil: of truth and error.  Discernment is of paramount importance to the Christian, for without it we cannot resist Satan’s deceptions.  We should, therefore, pray that the Lord will give the church discernment. 

“That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us…” (v.  21).

The unity of the church is all-important.  And the church cannot be unified unless we stay yoked to Christ Jesus.  Jesus said that He is the true vine and we are the branches.  Without Him we can do nothing.  The only way to stay yoked to Jesus Christ is to keep His commandments, for Scripture says:

“He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him” (1 John 3:24).

If the Church, therefore, would be unified, we must keep the commandments of God.  The last, and, therefore, greatest commandment that Jesus gave us was to “Love one another” (John 15:12,17).  Let us, therefore, pray that the children of God would love one another.

Jesus next prays that his followers would be with Him where He is: that is, in Heaven.  Now, Scripture tells us that those who believe on Jesus already have eternal life (1 John 5:13).  So, it is a given that we shall be where the Lord is.  What we should pray, then, is that the Lord would “keep us from falling.” 

INTERCESSION FOR THOSE IN GOVERNMENT

We should also intercede for those in government.  When a crucial election is coming up or an important ballot initiative pending, we should pray that those in government will make the right decision.  The Bible says that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against “spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).  Those high places are the seats of government, and a government’s decisions will affect its citizens for many years. 

As Job prayed for his children “according to their number,” so should we also be familiar with our government leaders and pray for them by name.  Satan and his followers are trying to influence their decisions for evil, so we must diligently pray that they will use their power and influence for good.  This even applies to those politicians whom we know are doing the work of Satan, for the Bible says that God has put them in office to fulfill His will, one purpose of which is to punish evildoers (1 Peter 2:14).

Additionally, we should pray for those in civil service—especially police officers, firemen, and soldiers.  Policemen have been given a bad rap because of the actions of a few bad apples, but all policemen are not predators.  There are still good police officers out there—men and women—who would risk their lives for someone whom they don’t even know. It takes a special kind of person to be a police officer, knowing that any day you walk out of your house could be your last.  

Firemen and women are also a special breed, and though I’m a grown man, I’m still in awe whenever I pass by a fire engine.  I was brought up to respect a man who would risk his life to pull a total stranger out of a burning building: and I still do.  

We have been at war for ten years, and our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, mothers and other family members are fighting and dying on foreign soil.  This war is arguably the bloodiest ever, and a soldier’s worst fear is no longer dying in battle, but coming home maimed, mangled, and permanently scarred.  I believe that the War On Terror has seen more amputees than possibly any war in history.  And more soldiers have committed suicide in this war than in any previous war.  

Police officers, firemen, soldiers, and others are risking their lives daily and actually dying to keep us safe.  Theirs is a thankless job, but a vital one.  Were it not for their sacrifices, we would live in constant fear.  We need to pray for their safety and for the well-being of their families.  Moreover, most of these brave souls do not know the Lord Jesus, and they need to; because any day could literally be their last.  They need our intercession.

INTERCESSION ON BEHALF OF AN ENEMY

Jesus also said that we should pray for our enemies.  He did this very thing Himself when he prayed for His murderers, saying,

“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Stephen, when he being stoned, also prayed that his murderers not be held accountable for his death (Acts 8:60).  Likewise should we also pray for our enemies; for Jesus said,

“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.  

“That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:44-45).

This passage tells us that we should love and pray for our enemies because, in so doing, we are emulating our Master.  Now this is good advice, because, for many of us, our enemies include our family and friends: the very people whom we trust the most and are supposed to love.  If Jesus’ advice had been for us to hate our enemies and love only our friends, we would have a very hard time in life, because Jesus said that the day would come when a man’s foes would be those of his own household.  And if you are like me, then that day has already arrived.  Clearly then, it is better for us to love and pray for our enemies and not to hate them. 

How do we pray for an enemy?  Well to begin, we must forgive them in the same way Jesus and Stephen did and pray that God will not charge our persecution to their account. That keeps it from becoming personal.  The Bible says that our fight is not with human beings, but with Satan and the powers of darkness (Ephesians 6:12).  I can tell you that once you forgive an enemy, it is easier for you to pray for their salvation.  For no man can truly hate an enemy if he is praying for them.

Jesus said that we should love and bless our enemies also, so that is what we should do.  I have on occasion prayed that God would give my enemies a really good day: a day to experience the joy of not having Satan manipulate their every thought and emotion.  Some of our enemies have children who have never experienced true love, happiness, and joy and are miserable because of it.  We can pray that their children for once in their lives experience this.  These are examples of how we can pray for an enemy.

Intercession for an enemy is even more important when it is a family member.  Some of our loved ones are our enemies for the Gospel’s sake (Romans 11:28).  Others are our enemies because they are carnal-minded and, therefore, will not and cannot be subject to the will of God (Romans 8:7).  These won’t obey God, but we can still intercede on their behalf.  We can pray, for example, that God will give them a measure of discernment for their benefit or for the safety of their children.  This is biblical, because discernment comes from the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit gives Himself to whomever He will—even the unsaved. 

Let’s suppose that your sister is an enemy for Jesus’ sake, and she has three young children, whom you love very much.  You know how much Satan hates children, so you know that he is going to do whatever he can to not only corrupt them, but maybe even harm them.  You can intercede on the behalf of your sister, by praying that the Lord would open her eyes to what people she should be careful not to allow around her children, or what television programs are not advisable for her children to watch, or to watch out for a certain neighbor who has designs on them.  You can even pray that the Lord would soften her heart a little.  And you can always pray a hedge of protection around her and her family.  Of course, you should be praying that one day she will accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

In some instances, praying for a loved one can be more difficult than praying for an enemy, because they are so close to us.  Satan often uses our closest family members to afflict us, because they are so close.  This is especially true if the family member is not saved.  For example, Satan may cause a spouse to be particularly rebellious, or unloving, or even promiscuous.  Every married person has certain expectations of his or her spouse, and when those expectations aren’t met, it could be a major source of strife, discontent, and disharmony.  When so many emotions are involved, it could be extremely difficult to pray for such a spouse, let alone actually intercede on their behalf.  This has been the most difficult part of my personal Christian walk. 

When one is going through such a struggle, one often forgets that, because the person is unsaved and in rebellion, they not only will not submit to the will of God, but they cannot submit to the will of God.  And if they won’t submit to God’s will, it’s a foregone conclusion that they won’t submit to yours.  This is all part of spiritual warfare.

The more determined one is to do the will of God, and intercede for the rebellious family member, the more determined Satan will be that the family member will rebel.  This is spiritual warfare, so we must get our heads around this.  

We should all intercede on the behalf of our family, relatives, and friends, even if they are our enemies.  Though it can be very difficult at times, we should do it.  After all, if we won’t, who will?

INTERCESSION FOR MOTHERS

Many women have absolutely no idea how to take care of a child.  There are women, for example, coming from dysfunctional homes who have never experienced a loving, caring family environment where they received love and attention from their parents.  Consequently, these women have no idea how to show love for their own children and are woefully inadequate to the task of effectively rearing a child.  If these women are Christians, God can show them how to raise their children if they will ask him.  The Bible provides us such an example in the life of the mighty Samson whose parents prayed for guidance about how to raise the boy before he was even born (Judges 13:1-18).

Most women, however, who come from such backgrounds do not know the Lord.  Some of these women, for various reasons, are so inept at child rearing that they actually pose a danger to their children.  They may be substance abusers or have other addictions.  They are loving people, but the call of their addiction is stronger than their will to do right.  They, therefore, pose a danger to their children.  Many of these women have no family or friends to whom they can turn for help or advice, even if they were inclined to receive it.  Others are cursed with a spirit of rebellion so serious that they will heed no advice.  It can be almost impossible to help such women.

All these women need intercessory prayer.  They need for someone to pray that God would grant them wisdom and discernment and show them how to properly raise their child.  That’s where we come in.  We can intercede on the behalf of such women and pray that God will intercede on their behalf and impart to them the wisdom to manage themselves or send someone into their lives who can help.  And we can always pray a hedge of protection around their children.

INTERCESSION AND GENERATIONAL CURSES 

Some parents are under a generational curse.  This means that a parent or ancestor has committed some sin that is extremely grievous in the eyes of God, and for this sin, God has cursed the lineage of the person.  Some of the most loving and intelligent women are under a generational curse and because of this, their children will also be cursed and, therefore, suffer from the same problems they do.

I believe it may be possible to not only intercede for that parent, but also to entreat God to forego his wrath for a generation to spare the child of the penalty of the parent’s rebellion and enable the child and, hopefully, the parent also, to seek God’s face.  There is biblical precedent for this.

We know that King David was beloved of God and was said to be “after God’s own heart.”  God showed incredible mercy on the house of David and the tribe of Judah because of David’s faithfulness to His word.  When David’ son, Solomon, committed idolatry, God said,

“I will not take the whole kingdom out of [Solomon’s] hand…for David my servant’s sake…But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand” (1 Kings 11:31b, 34, 35).

There is a second example.  The twenty-first chapter of the First Book of the Kings tells how King Ahab displeased God by having a man killed so he could take possession of his vineyard, which the man had refused to sell to him.  God tells King Ahab that for shedding innocent blood and for other crimes, He would destroy Ahab’s lineage.  Upon hearing this news, King Ahab was afraid and humbled himself before the Lord, to which God responds:

“Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me?  because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days: but in his son’s days will I bring the evil upon his house” (1 Kings 21:29).

There are other examples, but from these two, a case can be made that under certain circumstances, God will postpone His judgment for a season: even for a generation. 

There is more evidence to support this.  In Exodus 20:5 God says that He would curse the children, but in Exodus 34:7, He says that He would curse “the children’s children.”  I believe this is because if God allows a curse to skip a generation and fall not upon our sons or daughters, but upon their sons or daughters, then the curse will not fall upon our children, but upon our children’s children.  This is why God says “unto the third and to the fourth generation.”  If the curse skips a generation, it will be not unto the third generation, but unto the fourth generation.

Now, God accepted Job’s prayer for his friends, and the Apostle James tells us that God will forgive a brother’s sin for another who prays on his behalf.  I, therefore, believe that because God is “Merciful and Gracious, Longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6), if it is His will, God will suspend His judgment for a season, if a brother entreats Him on another’s behalf.  I truly believe this. 

Now I have prayed just such a prayer for the child of a family member and for the child of a dear friend.  When I did so, I asked God to forgive me if I were being presumptuous and to let me know if I were praying in error.  And I have never had the feeling that I was wrong about this.  In fact, it was because of my prayer for the child of my friend that I decided to write this article.  Given that the present crop of children is farther from God than any previous generation, and that many of them are suffering from various psychological and behavioral problems that cannot be explained by conventional medicine, the discerning Christian should carefully consider what we have discussed here.

Prayer is an awesome privilege.  Through prayer we have access to the throne of grace of the Sovereign Monarch of the Universe, and He has availed Himself to us any time of the day or night.  But prayer is more than just a privilege; it is a duty.  We owe it to the Lord Jesus Christ to pray for others the way He prayed for us.

Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man

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Be encouraged and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.

The Still Man