Jesus was of course the great intercessor of all the Bible. His ministry was birthed in 40 days of fasting and prayer in the wilderness, where he faced down the devil, and passed every test that ancient Israel failed.
On the night before he chose his twelve apostles, he spent it all in prayer. He prayed for them continually, especially as his final dark days approached. He told Peter before the storm broke, “Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail.” (Luke 22:31-32)
In his final hours before being arrested, Jesus took his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to seek the Father for the strength to face what was coming. But Jesus does not pray only for Himself. He pours out his heart in intercession for his apostles. John records a beautiful excerpt of that prayer in chapter 17 of his gospel.
In his prayer, Jesus prays for the disciples’ protection (“Keep them from the evil one”), for their growth in holiness (“Sanctify them in the truth”), for their joy {“May they have my joy fulfilled in themselves”), their unity (“I ask…that they may be perfectly one”), and for their fruitfulness (“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” Notice how that prayer reaches across time and touches you and me.) According to Hebrews 7:25 Jesus continues his intercessory work for us to this day as our Great High Priest.
“The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.” – Thomas Hobbes
On into the church age, we see intercession practiced. The church is birthed in prayer (Acts 1:14, 2:1). The first Christians devoted themselves to praying (Acts 2:42). When their enemies knocked them down, they prayed for courage to remain faithful witnesses (Acts 4:29). When the apostles found their time for prayer being disrupted by busyness, they raised up new leaders on whom to offload the work so they could resume praying (Acts 6:1-4).
When Peter was arrested, “earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church”, and he was miraculously rescued by an angel. (Acts 12:1-11 – A Puritan preacher named Thomas Watson memorably said, “The angel fetched Peter out of prison, but it was prayer that fetched the angel.”)
The missionary movement of the early church was borne out of prayer and fasting (Acts 13:1-3). As the next generation of believers came to faith, they were trained to become intercessors by the apostles. “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:18, cf. 1 Timothy 2:1-2, James 5:16).
Naturally the New Testament ends with an intercession. “Come Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” (Revelation 22:20-21).
When The Son Of Man Comes Will He Find Faith On Earth?
When we survey all this data from the beginning to end of Scripture, it would seem that intercession would be the most common form of prayer practiced. Yet truth be told, it is often the most neglected, and the “prayer meeting” often the least attended of church gatherings.
Jesus had no problem praying for several hours the night of his arrest. The disciples each to a man fell fast asleep as he prayed. In honesty, I would have fared no better.
Interestingly, Jesus knew that we would struggle with this. In a parable from Luke 18 about a widow who nags a judge until he helps her – a story Jesus specifically told to teach us “that we ought always to pray and not lose heart” (vs.1) – he ends the story by asking out loud, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (vs.8). The faith he’s talking about is the faith to always pray and not lose heart.
But without the aid of heaven, most of us will lose heart at times when it comes to intercession. Why? It comes back to the type of prayer this is. This is combat. And it’s hard to be always on a war-footing,
For this reason, intercession needs to be a team-effort. We can’t fight alone. Mark Batterson encourages us to surround ourselves with fellow soldiers, brothers and sisters who we can count on to be praying for each other.
He writes, “If we are going to intercede for others, we had better be sure that others are interceding for us. We need a prayer covering, especially when we enter an intense season of prayer and fasting. When we hit our knees, we pick a fight with the enemy. And the enemy will fight back.”
Do this today, even right now if you can. Pause to pray for your pastors, and for the elders and ministry leaders in your church, who serve at the front lines for their Lord. What should you pray? Why not start by listening to the attached Crowder song, then offer up your own version of this famous prayer many of you know from Colossians 1:
“We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy.” – Colossians 1:9-11