Intercession is holy, believing, persevering prayer where someone pleads with God. The intercessor could be praying for others who desperately need God’s intervention. The prayer that Daniel made in chapter nine in the book of Daniel is an example of intercessory prayer. He prays earnestly for Jerusalem’s restoration and the entire nation.
The intercession of Christ is an example to all believers. Jesus prayed for the lost during His earthly ministry. He wept in brokenness over the city of Jerusalem. Jesus prayed for His disciples individually and as a group. He prayed for His enemies while hanging on the cross.
A present aspect of Christ’s ministry is to intercede on our behalf before God’s throne. Christ’s intercession is essential to our salvation; without His grace, mercy, and help mediate to us through His intercession, we would fall away from God and become enslaved to sin. Therefore Christ intercedes for the believer in heaven. However, the Holy Spirit intercedes within the believer here on earth.
The Holy Spirit is also involved in our intercession. Romans, in the New Testament, chapter eight, verse twenty-six, states, “We know not what we should pray for us as we ought but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be utter.” The Holy Spirit intercedes through the human spirit of the believer “according to the will of God.”
In the Old Testament, the leaders of God’s people, such as kings, prophets, and priests, were to lead the way in intercessory prayer for the nation. Similarly, a believer is a leader in the household that should have the responsibility to lead the way in prayer for family, neighbors, strangers, and enemies. The New Testament presents examples of intercessory prayers. The Gospels record how parents and others interceded with Jesus on behalf of loved ones. Parents pleaded with Jesus to heal their sick children, a group of mothers asked Jesus to bless their children, a man requested for His servant for healing.
The church frequently interceded on behalf of various individuals. God-fearing saints that plead for God to turn aside from His judgment, to restore His people, to deliver individuals from danger, and to bless His people. Intercession also prays for the Holy Spirit’s power to come, for someone’s healing, for the forgiveness of sins, for the ability in authority to rule well, for Christian growth, for pastors, for mission work, for the salvation of others, for people to praise God. Anything that the Holy Spirit or the Bible reveals as God’s will for His people is an appropriate focus for intercessory prayer. One unfailing principle that God always honors is the power of persevering prayer and faith.