We usually pray for ourselves only.
We seldom pray for other people and our love ones around us.
Praying for others is called an intercessory prayer. The one who prays for others and pleads for someone’s case is called an intercessor. One study Bible defines intercession as “holy, believing, persevering prayer whereby someone pleads with God on behalf of another or others who desperately need God’s intervention.”
Jesus gives us a lot of examples of being an intercessor between God and for the sinful people. This is the same as what the Old Testament priests did. He is called a mediator (intercessor) between God and men as written in 1 Timothy 2: 5. Through His intercession, He brought the sinful men and God together and from there, eliminated the wall that act as a partition between God and men.
Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
And because of His blood, we can now come and approach God boldly without timidity (Hebrews 4:14-16)
So many times that Jesus acted as an intercessor for many, He prayed for those who were sick and possessed by demons, He prayed for His disciples, He prayed for those who received Him and believed in Him.
Like Jesus, we can also act as an intercessor for many people. We can pray for our love ones, friends and families. We can also pray for the church to which we belong. No matter what our duties in the church, we can act as an intercessor.
To be an intercessor, we must follow the pattern of Jesus and the priests of the Old Testament, which stands before God for the sake of the people to whom we pray for. And to be an effective intercessor, we must first clean our selves and be righteous before God so that when we act as an intercessor, we create a good relationship with the Lord.
In Numbers 14, Moses stands between God and the sinful Israel. We can notice here that Moses developed an intimacy with God that is why he has able to act as an intercessor for Israel. Numbers 12:8 records that God spoke with Moses as friend to friend and not through visions and dreams as He did with other prophets.
In New Testament times, we don’t use animals to sacrifice like what they did in the Old Testament times. We offer ourselves as a living sacrifice before the Lord and we stand before Him to offer our spiritual sacrifices of praise.
Heb 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Therefore, to be able to stand before the Lord and act as an intercessor for others, it is required that we too should be HOLY. Otherwise, there is no sense at all standing for others.
