Well, for the last two weeks or so I have been challenged to determine what is the purpose of intercessory prayer. I've been diabloging with a very intellegent person back and forth, it's been a really good catalyst for me to put my brain where my mouth is. Through all this I think I've learned a good leason of what I believe, so I'm going to throw it up here to share with anyone else:
(This was posted on another blog)
So, ok. I’m ready to go again. I hope to try and remember the main points of my last attempt to post, and I will go from there.
I have thrown this idea out before, but I will reiterate it at the beginning of my thoughts tonight:
In dealing with intercession, prayer, worship, or any other points surrounding the Christian faith I believe it is less important to figure out all the answers or roles I have and play in these topics, and more important to focus on the point in regards to God. (All the above is my interactions with Him; intercession is my petitions to Him, prayer conversations to Him, worship is me stating His glory, etc.) So for me to effectively participate or even understand things like intercession or worship, I need to focus on the God I am praying to or worshiping to make sense of my role.
Now, the bible says we are created in God’s image and likeness. (Genesis 1:26) That means that if you look at the human being we are created in the likeness of God—I’m not saying He has blue eyes or dark skin; I want to realize that I am an emotional and intellectual person—I love, hate, get jealous, angry as well, I can rationalize and think and look logically at situations. These are all gifts given me in being His creation. But I can choose (because of freewill…) how I use my emotions and even my intellect. If I am created in God’s image, it stands to reason that He thinks and feels (keep in mind what I was saying, though, about His eternal nature. I can say He has emotions, but my understanding of “emotions” is finitely limited) He has emotions which are revealed all through the Bible: He is Love, He is angry, He is jealous. Saying that implies, though, that I recognize what His love, anger, or jealousy actually represent. The love God expresses is infinite compared to anything I could share with Kristin or my mom or dad or sisters. His anger isn’t the same as me being pissed off sitting in traffic—His is a righteous holy anger. The jealousy God has isn’t the same as me envying your new car, or a man lusting jealously after someone’s wife—As the God of this universe, the creator of Heaven and earth, All Powerful, I AM, He demands our reverence and adoration (not by bullying brute force, but by His very nature and ultimate Being.)
Let me give an example from Exodus 32. God brought the Israelites out of Egypt by His power—through the Red Sea etc. We’ve see the movie Prince of Egypt. Moses went up the mountain to hang out with the Boss, and while he was up there, the people decided to build a gold calf. In fact, Aaron pointed to this calf and told the people, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people and indeed it is a stubborn people! Now let Me alone, that My wrath may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.” So God is ticked. And rightly so. Here, His chosen people…the people He just saved from 400 years of slavery by might and miracle, the people he has planned to make a great nation…are fresh from their new-found salvation and already are turning away from the God of the universe, defaming His eternal glory in the likeness of a calf. That is righteous anger.
But look what happens: Moses recognized God’s anger, but he also knew the character of God, His love and mercy and he pleaded with God: “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a might hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.” Then he talked about the promise made to Abraham. Now is Moses debating with God? Is God not aware of how it would look if He destroyed this group of people? No! God, by the intercession of Moses, chose not to consume them. It wasn’t that Moses showed Him a better action, or he laid on the guilt—he besot God’s own character for mercy.
OK. I’m really getting long here, but I’m aiming at an important point. Intercession took a whole new dimension in about A.D. 33, after Christ died. Jesus said “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me.” That’s where we get the idea of “giving our heart to Jesus.” Basically it is saying we belong to Him, simply put. Now, Christ in heaven has a whole new role, “Mediator,” or “Intercessor.” Maybe we could say He sits on the right hand of God acting as our liaison. God, in His omniscience, does know everything—maybe not in a way we can fully understand—but Jesus’ role, as Mediator, is to sit on the mercy-seat in heaven; to beseech God for mercy on us. (So in one paragraph I try to summarize this huge concept…just chew on it for a while)
Put the two thoughts from the above paragraph together and you find our role in intercession: As servants of Christ—we belong to Him if we answer His knocking—we are given the privilege of petitioning the mercy-seat of God according to His character. Do I know why or how it all works? No. I don’t claim to, nor will I ever. I am satisfied with my knowledge of my lack of knowledge. I worship a good, loving God, and I believe that all things work for the good of those who serve Him…so in any situation there isn’t guilt or pride in not praying/praying for someone or something. However, as a servant of the Most High I am privileged to play my part.
That is quite enough for me tonight! I’m sorry for these long rambling posts but I am eager to find and share answers together!
