During our childhood school days we can probably remember that game played at recess time where we would all line up and two captains would then be chosen. These captains would then select from among us whose team we would be playing on. In life however, we all need to make that fundamental and eternal choice as to whose team we will be both playing on and praying on.
And we have an absolute obligation to pray not only in our present circumstances but for the far reaching effects we can have on the generations to come.
We can be praying today for those future generations of righteous ones, for example, the ones we do not know, the ones who are going to face the Great Tribulation, the Antichrist, the False Prophet and the demonic world of locusts and scorpions. Are we interceding today for their tomorrows?
Saving the Nation
Are we ready, as Abraham was, to intercede on behalf of the righteous, as he did for his nephew Lot? Are we willing to be like Esther, who showed how powerful intercessory prayer was, asking the nation of Jews to pray for her and with her before she went to face the king? Imagine how powerful intercessory prayer can be; it helped save a nation. Do we think that intercessory prayer stops on this side of life? Someone once said, “… our prayers for our neighbors do not die the minute we enter heaven, instead they actually intensify.”
Our Best Prayer Partner
We read for example, in the Book of Revelation about these martyred saints who are interceding even in heaven. And who do they have as their mentor and prayer partner? They have the Great High Priest Himself, Yeshua Who always lives to make intercession for His sheep. Sometimes we are so intent on looking for a good prayer partner when we have the best One at all times.
God is on the Lookout
In heaven, these righteous martyrs will be praying for those living through our history’s most difficult time. We too should be praying today for the care under eagles’ wings that the Lord will provide for these righteous ones during the Tribulation. God is looking for intercessors. His Word says so. There was a time that He looked but could not find any (Isaiah 59:16, Isaiah 63:5). We do not want to disappoint God. We want to be available with a heart to intercede just as other great heroes such as Moses, Hannah, David, Daniel, Anna and Paul were, praying on behalf of their people to undergird and help establish the promises of God.
Praying God’s Will for Their Lives
What then makes us powerful intercessors? When the Holy Spirit becomes our mentor and our mouthpiece and when we are willing to stand in the gap for others. We step into these dire situations and needs while bearing all things in love. We can be a fortress, a spiritual wall of support for them. What makes us powerful intercessors is when we are willing to consecrate our heart and give over our pleasures by sacrificing time and choosing to fast when led. What makes us powerful intercessors is studying the Word of God and then applying that knowledge so that we can pray for God’s will to be done in their lives.
Keeping at It
As intercessors, our responsibility is to keep reminding the Lord of His promises, until they are completed. Is it biblical to remind the Lord? We read from Isaiah 62; 1a, 6b, 7:
For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, You who put the Lord in remembrance, take no rest, and give Him no rest until He establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth.
What makes intercessory prayer beautiful is that the focus is taken off ourselves and put entirely onto the needs of others… for those we know today and for the unknown faces of tomorrow.