The Intercession Factor...

One of the privileges and responsibilities believers have is to intercede on behalf of others with the Father.

An intercessor is one who goes between two or more parties to plead the case of one of those parties. One example of that in our culture is a lawyer. A lawyer goes before the judge and pleads the case of his client. He is the client's representative, his spokesman. Another example is when a person, usually a relative, has the power of attorney or medical power of attorney for another. The holder of the power of attorney can represent or speak on behalf of the other. In the case of medical power of attorney, that holder may "intercede" with physicians to insure that the person's end of life wishes are carried out.

Intercession is a powerful role and an important role. Just think, what if a parent or sibling asked you to be his/her spokesman and to inform family, friends, and physicians what his/her desires are when he/she cannot speak for himself/herself? What a heavy responsibility! But what an honor that the person chose YOU to speak for him/her!

Isn't that one of the things the Father accomplished by sending Jesus to this earth? Jesus became an intercessor for humanity, but also on an individual basis. Jesus is our go-between! Through Him, we have confident access to the Father - the creator of all that was ever created.

Before Jesus, the High Priest could only enter the Holy of Holies once a year. The Holy of Holies was the dwelling place of God in the temple. When that one time a year rolled around for the Priest to go in and make the sacrifices for the people, he went in with a rope tied around his ankle. Why? If someting happened to the Priest while he was in the H of H, the people could not go in and get him - it was too holy! So, they could pull him out with the rope! Ordinary people and even ordinary priests did not have personal access to the Father.

That's what Jesus did - give us ordinary folks personal access to the Extraordinary! He made the ultimate blood sacrifice on the cross and was then raised - alive - to sit by the right hand of God and verbally intercede for us! John 17 captures Jesus praying to the Father before His arrest, and in that prayer, He specifically prays for the believers then and the believers who would come to know Him after His death. That's us!

That is the Intercession Factor! And it is a big deal! Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, speaks to God on my behalf! He created me, He knows me by name, He knows all my strengths and weaknesses, and He sees everything about me and my situation(s). Who better can intercede for me than Him? How amazing!

The Intercession Factor also has another aspect. And it is a big deal also. Believers in Jesus Christ are called to pray for (intercede) others - saved and unsaved. It is common to pray for one's salvation or healing in the midst of sickness, restoration of relationships, wisdom in making decisions, or protection when facing possible danger.

But our intercession for fellow believers is to go deeper. Paul opens each of his letters to the churches with some sort of "Prayer for the Saints." They all address Paul's desire, which is also the desire of God's heart, that the believers grow in their walk of faith, their relationship with Jesus. We could look at any of Paul's letters and glean instruction in how to pray for others, but I want to look closely at the letter to the Colossians.

• We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. Colossians 1:3-12 NLT

From this passage, we learn seven ways to pray for other believers:

1. Give thanks for their faith and changed lives.
2. Ask God to help them know what He wants them to do.
3. Ask God to give them deep spiritual understanding.
4. Ask God to help them live for Him and bear the fruit of the spirit.
5. Ask God to give them more knowledge of Himself.
6. Ask God to give them strength and endurance.
7. Ask God to fill their lives with joy and thankfulness.

We can be powerful intercessors for others even without knowing all that's going on in their lives. Praying these things is basically praying God's will in whatever circumstances they face. The most transformational thing anyone can have is a deeper walk with Jesus. With that, everything else will take care of itself.

God is calling all believers to pray for each other. It is an honor, a privilege, a responsibility, and the most powerful thing we can do for our friends. Will you step out and be an intercessor and plead on their behalf to the Father?