THE CALL & URGENCY OF INTERCESSION

Teaching by Br. Francis D'Souza

Saturday 24.11.2012

Intercession has the power to change tomorrow morning’s headlines.

The ACTS of prayer are:

The act of ADORATION – WORSHIP

The act of CONTRITION - REPENTANCE
The act of THANKSGIVING – 1 TH 5:18 give thanks in all circumstances; for 

                                                                                      this is the will of  God in Christ Jesus for you.

The act of SUPPLICATION – PRAYER ON BEHALF OF

                                                 ANOTHER

The 3rd Goal of the Charismatic Renewal is to help Catholics re-discover the beauty and power of prayer.

Personal and collective or community prayer is essential and must include prayers of thanksgiving as Scripture reminds us in  Mark 11:24 So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours, as well as intercessory prayers as the prophet reminds us in Isaiah 65:24 Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear.

It is most encouraging to know that even before we see the answers God grants us our petitions simply because He is our loving Father.

This is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church has to say on the subject of intercessory prayer in CCC 2634 – 2635

2634 Intercession is a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did. He is the one intercessor with the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners.¹¹² He is "able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them."¹¹³ The Holy Spirit "himself intercedes for us . . . and intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."¹¹⁴

2635 Since Abraham, intercession - asking on behalf of another has been characteristic of a heart attuned to God's mercy. In the age of the Church, Christian intercession participates in Christ's, as an expression of the communion of saints. In intercession, he who prays looks "not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others," even to the point of praying for those who do him harm.¹¹⁵
 

A summary on the life of Christ will reveal that of the 33 years that Jesus lived He spent 30 years in secular living, 3 years in ministry and 2000 plus years in intercession.  

 Hebrews 7:25 says, Consequently he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.

Intercessory prayer is praying on behalf of another.

One definition is:  ‘Standing in the breach,’ like  Abraham who stood as an intercessor before God pleading for Sodom and Gomorrah.

Another definition is, ‘Standing in the gap.’

Moses like Abraham also stood in the breach and prayed for the people.  This is how Moses pleaded for the chosen people of God when He wanted to wipe them from the face of the earth on account of their sins.  
Exodus 32:32 But now, if you will only forgive their sin—but if not, blot me out of the book that you have written.’ 
  

Here are a few great examples of intercession from the Bible…

• Daniel prayed on behalf of his people. (Daniel 9:4-19)
• Abraham prayed on behalf of the people of Sodom (Genesis 18:20-33)
• Moses prayed on behalf of Israel (Exodus 32:11-13and 32:31-32)
• Ezra prayed on behalf of his people (Ezra 9:6-15)
• Nehemiah prayed on behalf of his people (Neh 1:3-11 and 9)
• Jesus prayed on behalf of His people (John 17:6-26) and for those who killed Him (Luke 23:34)
• Stephen interceded for those who killed him, Paul interceded for the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians…. 

The prayers of these men were selfless, God seeking, humble, heartbroken prayers.   

In the prayer of petition God does something for us.

In intercessory prayer God does something through us

In communion God does something in us.

The intercessory ministry is a powerhouse of prayer and together with fasting has the power to move the heart and hand of God.  It is the backbone of all Christian activity.  We become partakers with Jesus for this is what Jesus is doing  as He sits at the right hand of the Father – He makes ceaseless intercession for us.

In intercession God does something through us as He did in the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fish.  He takes what we have and offers it to the Father and a miracle is performed.  It took a little boy’s small, humble offering to feed the multitude.

It is fair to stay that 2 Timothy 3:1-7 gives us a clear picture of the state of the world in the 21^st Century

You must understand this, that in the last days distressing times will come. For people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, brutes, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to the outward form of godliness but denying its power. Avoid them! For among them are those who make their way into households and captivate silly women, overwhelmed by their sins and swayed by all kinds of desires, who are always being instructed and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth.

The same sins that were committed since the creation of man goes on ad infinitum ad nauseam.

-Corruption

-Killing

-Robbing

-Sexual immorality

-Child abuse

-Occult

-Involvement in New Age, Yoga, Pranik healing, Vastu, Feng Shui, Laughing Buddha, Reiki etc.

We must not be fooled into thinking that Yoga is harmless.  A Hindu convert had this to say about Yoga, “The philosophy of Yoga filters through the practice of Yoga.”

Today we are in dire need for people who will stand in the gap.

St. Padre Pio has said, “If sin were to be converted into matter, it would form a cloud so thick that it would prevent sunlight from reaching the earth.”

We need the intervention f God through the prayers of intercessors praying for forgiveness of our own sins and the sins of the world.

God may yet show mercy as he showed mercy to Noah and his family. 

Genesis 6:5-8

The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will blot out from the earth the human beings I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.’ But Noah found favour in the sight of the Lord.

There is a vacancy for this type of people as indicated in Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought for anyone among them who would repair the wall and stand in the breach before me on behalf of the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.

The kind of people who are called to be intercessors are:

·        People with a believing heart

·        People with a listening heart

·        People with a strong heart

·        People with a compassionate heart

·        People with clean hearts

BELIEVING HEART          
                        Believes God is a God of promise. 

Believes He makes and keeps His promises. 

Believes He hears and He answers.

A believing heart knows that God is faithful:  Isaiah 65:24: While they are yet speaking I will hear.

A believing heart knows that God is faithful Matthew. 7:7  ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

A believing heart puts his faith in God:  John 4:2 although it was not Jesus himself but his disciples who baptized

CLEAN HEART    
                        Admit you are a sinner and ask for pardon and forgiveness.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.

Psalm 41:4 As for me, I said, ‘O Lord, be gracious to me;  heal me, for I have sinned against you.’

Luke 18:13 But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”

LISTENING HEART    
                        Thou shall not intercede without first hearing God.  We do not inform or persuade God.  He informs and persuades us.  He puts words in our mouth.  We must be people of prayer.  Familiar and conversant with prayer, faithful in prayer.

John 10:2-4 ²The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

We must ask the Lord, “What do You want me to pray for?”  He will reveal the needs we must pray for.

STRONG HEART    
                        Moses was a meek man.  Meekness is not weakness.  Intercessory prayer is not for the fainthearted.  We do not send the leftovers to be intercessors.  It is not for the weak. Numbers 12:3 Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

COMPASSIONATE HEART    
                        An intercessor cares for people and wants to save the life of others.                            

Isaiah  53:12Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,     and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many,    and made intercession for the transgressors.  

How does an intercessor operate?

The common constant is:

PRAYER :  Prayer is of paramount importance. One cannot 
                    overemphasise this truth.  Prevalent prayer,

                    persevering prayer, persistent prayer.

BIBLE:      The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. We                                 know the mind of God through the Word of God.

An intercessor must have the Bible in one hand and the newspaper in the other.  We  ought to make the news channels, internet and newspapers the subject of our intercessory prayer.  We must pray for the needs of the world and the evil prevalent in the world.

What is my response to the condition of the world?  Is it the response of Cain or of Isaiah?

Cain’s response – Am I my brother’s keeper or

Isaiah’s response – Here  I am Lord, send me.

1 Tim 2:1

Instructions concerning Prayer

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings should be made for everyone,

2 Chronicles 7:14

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.