Prayer No: 9 (Intercessory Prayer)

By Odon Bulamba (summary only - 21 October 2005)

When someone is seriously sick and unconscious you will take him straight away to the hospital and talk on behalf of that person to the doctor. If not, there will be consequences. When we are praying for people, we are praying on their behalf because they are unconscious of their sin. E.g. an alcoholic will not think drinking is bad. A sinner is like a sick person because they are unable to drink (they don’t believe in the Word of God = water) and they don’t eat (don’t like the taste of the Word of God = bread) and have a high temperature (sin). People who are saved don’t have this problem so we have to pray for them to find solutions to the other problems they have in their lives.

We as Christians have to consider the value of being a member of God’s family and remember it’s a privilege and a gift. We don’t have to resist God but we have to do what He tells us or He will be ashamed of us as parents are when their children don’t obey them. Everyday we live and get new strength while we have brothers and sisters outside God’s family and we know God is a good father and waiting to adopt them so why don’t we call them to our family of God. We have to intercede for others so they can join God’s family; they need God’s intervention and touch.

Lamentation 2:18, the best formula for intercession is to cry and accept it’s a serious situation. Tell God you need intervention and explain everything to God, ask for support and if He doesn’t the people will perish.

If you (1) pray for someone and the situation doesn’t change you have to (2) fast and if no solution you have to (3) fast again and then (4) cry out to God. When I want to intercede for non-christians I have to first think of him/her who is a sinner and therefore is dead (spiritually). At funerals we will talk only about positive points and when we are interceding to God we have to bring up the importance of that person’s life. ‘You love him, You created Him but He’s dying’.

Isaiah 59:16, sometimes God sits down and looks at us to see if someone will intercede for the cause of others. We have hundreds of Christians but only a few will pray for others and we don’t because we are lazy, selfish and impatient but God is waiting for us to intervene, which means our intervention is very important. God wants us to intercede for His people and when you do that God will be proud of you.

Christians today pray for the same situation although God has already answered and closed that case. Our prayers are monotone. Every morning we pray the same prayer and every time we intercede it’s for the same people and God says, ‘why can’t you think about something else, there are hundreds of problems around us why can’t you pray for them?’ Jesus used to pray for someone and then move on to the next person but we just want to pray everyday for the same people.

II Chronicles 16:9a, God’s eyes are looking on the earth to support those who love Him and to love God is to first love your neighbor and if you love your neighbor (someone next to you) you will pray for them. If you don’t love your neighbor it will be impossible to love God and if you don’t love God it will be impossible for God to support you. The fruit of love is in I Corinthians 13:4 (patience, kindness, etc) so try to show love to those around you.

Exodus 32:7-14, because Moses loved the people he interceded for them and God changed His mind to kill them. How much do we intervene when we know that one day all sinners will be punished? What do we tell God about His people? God wants us to come to Him and ask for His mercy on them and that will make Him feel like He is God. If you see problems of others, it’s because God is trying to show you everything clearly and is now waiting for you to give to Him a feedback and can only do that through intercession.

Genesis 18:23, there is a day coming where everything will end so we can tell God will you also punish my family members? My nation? If you can find 6 or 5 or 3, can you please save them? We have to talk to God, to intervene. God will listen and will change His plan. How many times do you plead for the lives of others when you know a situation is getting worse? God visits you every second, have you decided to walk with Him and have a conversation with Him (as Abraham did). If you don’t pray your whole nation will be lost.

Isaiah 64:7,8, the Lord is our Father; how do we spend our time with our Father?

While our brothers and sisters are suffering and need prayer, we forget about them and just carry on with our own burden. Sometimes we don’t even have time to look at what is going on around us. People who don’t intercede for others don’t stand in a right position in front of God.

Intercession is a matter of preparing ourselves; we need determination, patience, concentration and purification. If we are not pure we can’t pray and if not ready we can’t pray so we must be ready and if not, it will end in a bad way and we will not get a good answer from God.

SUMMARY
- Intercession is talking to God on behalf of someone else
- First we pray and if no solution then fast and then fast again and then cry to God
- Tell God the importance of that person
- Don’t pray the same thing every day
- If you want God to support you, you have to first love Him and to love God you have to first love your neighbor and if you love your neighbor you will pray for him/her
(our prayers need His support)
- When we see other people’s problems it’s because God wants us to pray for them
- Before to pray we must be ready (pure, determined, patient) and to concentrate
- The reason we don’t pray is because of laziness, selfishness and impatience
- When we intercede, God will be proud of us