Scripture Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-8
Memory Verse: Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. 1 Timothy 2:1
Lesson Aim: To gain an understanding of intercession and its importance in the believer’s life.
Key Points - Intercession can be summarized as going between, pleading for another. - In order to intercede effectively we must be led by the Holy Spirit. - God is still calling for intercessors today.
Have you ever felt the overwhelming urge to pray for someone or a situation? Did you take the time to pray? If you did, it is quite possible you were interceding for someone. Our prayers for one another are important.
The definition of intercession can be summarized as, “mediating, going between, pleading for another, or representing one party to another.” We are familiar with intercession. It happens in courtrooms all the time. Lawyers intercede for their clients. Lobbyists intercede. Activists intercede for their causes. However, the type of intercession that we want to focus on is intercessory prayer. This is prayer made on behalf of another.
We have a number of Old Testament examples of intercessors. Abraham interceded for Sodom (Genesis 18). Moses interceded for the Israelites (Numbers 14:13-20). Even though Israel probably deserved the wrath of God, Moses stood in the gap and pleaded for God’s mercy. Another example would be Daniel. Daniel prayed earnestly for the restoration of Jerusalem and for Judah in captivity. Samuel, Elijah and Nehemiah are also examples of intercessors.
In the New Testament, we have the example of the church interceding for Peter’s deliverance in Acts 12. The church prayed without ceasing and Peter was miraculously delivered. In 1 Timothy 2:1, Paul exhorts us that along with supplications, giving of thanks and prayers, intercessions should be made for all men.
Jesus is the greatest of all intercessors. In John 17, Jesus prayed to the Father that He would sanctify us through His truth and that we might be one, even as He and the Father are one. Jesus is yet interceding for us (Romans 8:34).
Intercession is still necessary today. It is one way that we are able to bear one another’s burdens and lift up the weak and feeble. It is the way that we can pray for our families, our church, other ministries, our city and our nation. It takes intercession to bring forth deliverance, thwart the plans of the enemy and gain victory over the powers of darkness.
To be an intercessor, we must realize that intercession gives us the opportunity to carry the burden, pain, grief, cares, etc., of another as our own to the Savior. We can then be moved to pray with desire, compassion, boldness, fervency and perseverance. The Scripture encourages us to bear one another’s burdens; and those that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak (Galatians 6:2).
Desire, compassion, boldness, fervency and perseverance all play an important part in intercession, but in order to intercede effectively, we must be led by the Holy Spirit. God is still calling for intercessors today. Now, more than ever, the battle for our lives, our loved ones, our church and our nation has been intensified. Let us make ourselves available to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit and willingly stand in the gap.
Questions and Discussion
- Why do we need to intercede? Hebrews 7:25; Ephesians 5:30; James 5:14-16; Acts 4:24-31
- What does Paul encourage us to do in 1 Timothy 2:1-3; Ephesians 6:18-19.
- What is necessary in order to be an intercessor? Ezekiel 22:30; Numbers 14:11-20
- Abraham and Daniel were notable intercessors. Discuss the outstanding features of their intercession. Genesis 18:20-33; Daniel 9:3-20
- Discuss how we can become more effective intercessors.