Jesus is praying for ME!

Intercession is the "sweetest kind of prayer as it is the most Christ like."

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As I set out to prepare this blog I have been very aware that I am dipping into a huge subject worthy of much study and where many way more accomplished Bible teachers and scholars than me have already been. Not least the great Charles Spurgeon whose quote above has led me to simply look afresh at how Jesus prayed and modelled prayers for us. In fact the past tense is not enough here as we learn that He is still praying for us…you and me!              

Simply put, God’s plan before time began was for mankind to be in a loving relationship with Him as a perfect people. As sin entered our hearts it was necessary for this to be dealt with. The Levitical priests of the old covenant were to be the link, the mediators between the people and Himself. To intercede to bring blood sacrifices and plead on our behalf in the Holy of Holies. Now through His death and resurrection we have a new covenant in Jesus, once and for all as our Great High Priest. 

Hebrews 2:17 tells us He is the propitiation for our sins or put another way, He satisfies God, justice has been done once and for all. 

At the cross we were bought with the costliest of works, no wonder we are precious to Him! 

As His word promises He will never leave us or forsake us. He has been through too much to give up on us. How He loves us. Now as the body of Christ we are His witness on earth where satan the prince of the earth still attacks. 

Through faith in Jesus as my saviour I know that I am a child of God, washed in the precious blood of Jesus standing righteous before Him. I can claim all these truths and so many more about my relationship with Christ but what has struck me afresh is that Jesus is praying for me...always! Romans 8:34.

Then I asked the question “why?”. If all work of redemption was done on the cross and we now live in Christ and He in us why does He need to be still praying for us? 

Because we are a work in progress, His work, being sanctified from glory to glory. 

Although it was finished on the cross His care for the redeemed is never finished. His steadfast love endures forever. He knows what it is to live on earth in satan’s domain. He became one of us to relate to every bit of humanity, every trial and temptation. 

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As satan is “the accuser of the brethren day and night ”, 1 John 2:1-2 tells us we have an advocate in Jesus. Always pleading before the throne of God.

Legal terms are used here because God’s presence is a place of justice a, heavenly courtroom, with Jesus as our defence lawyer pleading for us, arguing our case. Satan’s accusations can go nowhere, the prosecution fails every time. By faith we are standing before God in the righteousness of Jesus. Its win/win!

So what exactly is He praying for us? Facing the crucifixion ahead, His own prayer to His Father in John 17 models intercession. As He asks the Father to be glorified, it is not for Himself but only with us in His heart. Those whom God has given Him and those yet to come to faith in Him v20.

He asks that the Father would keep us united in Him and one another through Christ. 

That we would know the fullness of joy in Him through His steadfast and enduring love.

That He would keep us from the evil one while in the world.

That He would search our hearts and we would be sanctified in the Truth…a work in progress 

Jesus pleads...this is a legal term but we know it too as an emotive word. To give a heartfelt cry for something we long for. Its more than just asking it’s a yearning.

In verse 24 we read that Jesus longs for us to be with Him in Glory...we are to be His long awaited perfect Bride. What comfort to know Jesus feels it too!

Christians can be criticised as being too emotional but in Matthew 22:37 we are commanded to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and so we pray with all of ourselves. Pouring out our longings with tears, groans and those everyday sighs as so often we just don’t know how to pray or where to start.  

We often see “intercession” as a particular ministry and we know there are those whose life’s work it is to sacrificially pray for the BIG issues of our nations. But we are all called to intercede however we pray whether it be setting aside time on retreat, in our own quiet times or simply going about our daily routines sighing out “one liners” to God on our way. 

Our intercession is driven by emotion, our souls are involved, as we long for answered prayer we model Jesus, we work with Him. “The most Christ like way to pray.” 

It has taken me to get to my age to realise that life is hard! Thankfully many of our trials may be small but they are constant. As soon as one problem however small or great is solved we know only too well there will be another one on its way. This is why Paul exhorts us to pray at all times and in all circumstances for ourselves as well as others. We must be encouraged by the very fact that we feel the need to pray (however feebly) is because we are in Christ, the Holy Spirit draws us in love to care for the world’s brokenness. Our hard hearts are being softened. 

We so quickly are overwhelmed by our problems and those of our nearest and dearest, let alone the profound issues of the world we live in but we can take encouragement and inspiration to pray in the light of Jesus’ very own heart’s cries to our Father in heaven knowing He is praying for us and with us too. Turning our hearts to God adds a new dimension to our prayers knowing we are represented in heaven before the Father’s throne. 

“Intercession is a way of loving others “ (Richard Foster)

Author: Margaret Riordan

May God bless and enrich your life

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