Intercessory Power of Prayer

Numbers 14:1-5 (NLT), ¹Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night.² Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. ³ “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?”   ⁴ Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!” ⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel.

Intercessory means to act or interpose on someone; to stand between two opposing forces. For us sometimes it is God and everybody else. There is literally not a solitary sin and rebellion that you can commit, and God not forgive you for it. Even so, He does not leave any sin unpunished. Sometimes majority rules is a lie. Majority is sometimes the fool. We hear a lot of complaining and this is where we insert intercession. Intercessors are called to pray on a different level.

The three points of intercessory prayer:

You have to have a heart for the people

If your attitude is wrong the intercession is pointless. The condition of your heart has to be right. If you can’t at least touch them—you cannot intercede for them. One way to keep your heart conditioned is to remember that you were once a sinner. You do not have to be acceptance of their lifestyle but condition your heart to intercede. Don’t compartmentalize people. Nobody is untouchable. You will never be affective in their lives by being angry. The church has lost so much ground by building walls and cosigning foolishness.

Numbers 13-19 ¹³ But Moses objected. “What will the Egyptians think when they hear about it?” he asked the Lord. “They know full well the power you displayed in rescuing your people from Egypt. ¹⁴ Now if you destroy them, the Egyptians will send a report to the inhabitants of this land, who have already heard that you live among your people. They know, Lord, that you have appeared to your people face to face and that your pillar of cloud hovers over them. They know that you go before them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. ¹⁵ Now if you slaughter all these people with a single blow, the nations that have heard of your fame will say,¹⁶ ‘The Lord was not able to bring them into the land he swore to give them, so he killed them in the wilderness.’

¹⁷ “Please, Lord, prove that your power is as great as you have claimed. For you said, ¹⁸ ‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty. He lays the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations.’ ¹⁹ In keeping with your magnificent, unfailing love, please pardon the sins of this people, just as you have forgiven them ever since they left Egypt.”

Don’t let the actions of people disqualify them from your intercession

If we stop interceding, we are cosigning with them to go off the cliff. You could not see the danger, but somebody prayed for you. There are people in our lives who don’t know they are in danger, but you do. They still need your intercessory prayer.

Intercession saves lives

If you ever doubt the power of your intercession, you have to get 30 other people with you. The power of intercession takes time. If you pass someone on the street and know their faith is dead at the root, you can intercede for them right there. The power of intercession can save a life.  Start exercising the right and the power.

Matthew 26:39 (NKJV), ³⁹ He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

Matthew 26:39 is the greatest intercessory prayer ever prayed. The moment Jesus said to the Father “let your will be done and not mine” is the greatest moment of intercession. He did not want to step into that place of intercession, but He did. He did that knowing He would be rejected by thousands.