God calls us to be men and women of action. He doesn't want us to be passive, but to proactively work for His kingdom. We think of intercession, but we don't consider it to be proactive work. But understanding how Jesus is now our high priest who bridges us now to the Father will lead us to understand the active power that is in the power of prayer and intercession.
To intercede is to pray and intervene on behalf of another. That's exactly what Jesus did for us and what the Holy Spirit does for us when we can no longer do things on our own, which is something that happens often.
The vitality of intercession can be forgotten very easily. When something goes wrong in our life or in someone else's, it can be easy to say, "What should we do now?" instead of saying, "When do we start praying?" When we pray, we allow God to move on behalf of our limitations and of the limitations of others.
Here are seven verses that can remind us of the value and importance of intercession when battling with seemingly impossible circumstances.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (ESV, Philippians 4:6). (Pexels)"Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours" (ESV, Mark 11:23–24) (Pexels)"I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God; incline your ear to me; hear my words" (ESV, Psalm 17:6). (Pexels)"The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed and greatly troubled; they shall turn back and be put to shame in a moment" (ESV, Psalm 6:9–10). (Pexels)“You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows” (ESV, Job 22:27). (Pexels)"If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (ESV, 2 Chronicles 7:14). (Pexels)"And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived" (ESV, Genesis 25:21). (Pexels)
