“21 Days of Prayer” #13 Who He Is ~ INTERCESSOR

One of my favorite names is “Intercessor.” Knowing our temptations and all the situations we encounter, God the Son, intercedes. He holds the door open for us to come boldly to the throne. He is also the bridge which connects us to our heavenly Father.
The definition of “Intercessor” is “a person who steps in, mediates, or pleads a case on behalf of another person. It comes from Latin roots which mean “to go between.” This sounds similar to “Advocate”, which is someone who speaks, negotiates, or acts on behalf of someone else. I think of it as “standing in the gap.”

The name “Intercessor” for Jesus is that He is the primary and ultimate Intercessor who represents us before God. Jesus told His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit as an “Advocate”. We know through the Holy Spirit, we have One who is “standing in the gap”, praying on our behalf.

There are examples of intercessory prayer in the Old Testament. One is Moses. When the Israelites built and worshiped a golden calf at Mount Sinai, Moses “stood in the gap”, pleading with God to remember His covenant promises and show mercy, rather than destroying the nation. (Exodus 32:11-14)

Moses interceded for the Israelites multiple times. This intercession was because of fear and shame at approaching a holy God. The people asked for someone else to approach Him. The protocol was that a priest would approach God in place of the people. The priest “stood in the gap.”

However, Jesus changed all of that. We can boldly come to God. Christ is our “high priest” who “stands in the gap” for us. Jesus is the ultimate example of priestly intercession. In His High Priestly Prayer, related to us by John in John 17, Jesus specifically asked God to protect, unify, and sanctify His current and future followers. We read in Luke 22 that Jesus also asked specifically for Peter – that Peter’s personal faith would endure before a time of intense trial.

Jesus made it possible for us to come boldly to the throne of God without the need of a priest to mediate. He calls us to be intercessors, but ultimately Jesus is the ultimate capital “I” Intercessor! That’s one of His names.
This should encourage us to not give up. We can be encouraged that we are not alone in our earnest prayers, our “standing in the gap” prayers, our tears on behalf of another or on behalf of our nation or even the world…we have Jesus praying with us!

Scripture:
Hebrews 4:14-16 ~ “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet He did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

Romans 8:34 ~ “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

In Romans, Paul makes it clear that this is not a one-time event…Jesus is ever-interceding. There was a song copyrighted in 1977 called “And He’s Ever Interceding” by Carolyn Gillman. The lyrics describe Jesus’ intercession beautifully:

“Someone to go the extra mile, Just like a mother caring for her child; A friend who sticks through thick or thin, No matter what you’ve done or where you’ve been; Just like one great big family, A stronger, older brother He will be; So quick and ready to defend, The younger, weaker to the end.

“And He’s ever interceding, to the Father for His children; Yes, He’s ever interceding, to the Father for His own; Through Him you can reach the Father, So, bring Him all your heavy burdens; Yes, for you He’s interceding, So, come boldly to the throne.

“Just like sheep, we’ve gone astray, Struggling ‘neath the debt we could not pay; Not ever hoping to renew, The love and fellowship that we once knew; But He began to intercede; Crying, ‘Father, please, forgive, I plead.’ And as the nails pierced in His hands, God, once again, reached out to man. Yes, He’s ever interceding, so come boldly to the throne.”

Prayer:
Jesus, my Intercessor, thank You for bridging the gap so I can always come boldly to the Father in prayer. Thank You, Jesus, for praying for me as You know perfectly what is best for my life and what I need in each moment. You even intercede on my behalf when I don’t have the words to express my deepest pain and need.
Thank You that with my obedience to pray on behalf of others, You partner with me in showing others Who You are.

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