Intercessory Prayer

Today morning we, the brothers in India, had a time of fellowship with Br. Minoru Chen. The Lord spoke His timely words to all of us at this time on the need and urgency for a special kind of prayer, intercessory prayer. This is not merely a message to listen and give, but a living to live out. We, brothers, must all take the lead to live an intercessory prayer life and lead all the saints to live such a life. 

The fellowship was based on the life of Moses, a companion of God, and how he interceded for his people.

Exodus 32:11  And Moses entreated Jehovah his God and said, Jehovah, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?32:12  Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, With evil intent He brought them out, to slay them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from Your burning anger, and repent of this ill against Your people.32:13  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself and said to them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever.32:14  Thus Jehovah repented of the evil which He said He would do to His people.

Moses entreated Jehovah his God

How could Moses entreat Jehovah? Prior to this incident, he had been with Him for forty days and forty nights. During that period he was soaked in the presence of God and knew God. Based on this knowing of God and intimacy with God, he had the ground to entreat God for his people.

Intimacy with God

Not everyone can simple entreat God just like that. He must have a standing to do so. Moses had that standing. His standing was that he had 40 days and 40 nights face to face, intimate time with God. Without such intimacy, it was practically impossible to be able to entreat God for anything.

Based on such intimacy Moses was very bold even to question God on what would the Egyptians think about His people whom He had led them out of Egypt. He even dared to charge God to REPENT of His ill against His people. In fact, God had told Moses that these were his(Moses') people, now Moses spoke back, claiming that they are His(God's) people. That was the level of intimacy. Boldly, and freely, conversing as a friend with friend. Further Moses also reminded God of His covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. The result of such intercessor was, God REPENTED. 

It was an awesome sight to see such a relationship in revelation! God got angry, yet through His companion Moses' intercession, He repented! God changed His course of action! That's possible with intercession.

What a revelation! I have never seen this as a revelation though I knew it as a Bible story that I have read a good number of times.

Later, though Moses pleaded with God not to get angry at His people, he himself got angry at his people when he came to know their real situation. He had the same feeling as God had. Then, he took action, which God did not ask him to do. But, it was understood that God approved of his action. For, Levi, who listened to Moses' words of action, pleased God, and God chose them to serve Him as priests forever.

32:19  And as soon as he drew near to the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.
32:26  Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, Whoever is for Jehovah, come to me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves to him.
32:27  And he said to them, Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel, Let each man put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each man kill his brother, and each man his companion, and each man his neighbor.
32:28  And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and that day about three thousand men among the people fell.
32:30  And on the next day Moses said to the people, You have sinned a great sin; and now I will go up to Jehovah; perhaps I can make expiation for your sin.
32:31  And Moses returned to Jehovah and said, Oh, this people have committed a great sin and have made a god of gold for themselves.
32:32  And now if only You will forgive their sin; and if not, please blot me out of Your book, which You have written. 

After all the dealings with the rebellious people, Moses came before God again and pleaded forgiveness on their behalf. From then on, he pitched the tabernacle where he met and talked with God face to face. 

33:11  And Jehovah would speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his companion. And Moses would return to the camp, but his attendant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart out of the tent.33:12  And Moses said to Jehovah, See, You say to me, Bring up this people; but You have not let me know whom You will send with me. Yet You have said, I know you by name, and you have also found favor in My sight.33:13  Now therefore if I have found favor in Your sight, please let me know now Your ways, that I may know You, so that I may continue to find favor in Your sight. Consider also that this nation is Your people.33:14  And He said, My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest.33:15  And he said to Him, If Your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.

Such was the relationship between God and Moses. And such is the relationship we must have with God as well. For this, we must live a life that is in the presence of God and be an intercessor between God and men.

Today, in the New Testament, the charge of the Lord is also "First of all, pray."

 1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings be made on n behalf of all men;

Acts  2:42   And they continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Therefore, I must rise up to pray this kind of prayer, an intercessory prayer, and lead all the saints to live such an intercessory prayer life. This is the need of the time! What a timely speaking of the Lord!

Lord, grace me to be such a man of prayer to pray an intercessory prayer.