Interceding for others is a gift from the Lord. Think how the Lord has intervened in your life and how He wants to use you to intercede for others. My son and I were entering a hardware store not long ago and noticed an older man struggling to steady himself with his cane. My son asked him if he was all right, and he told us he hoped someone would come and help him. We walked him to his vehicle and helped him in. I noticed a cross hanging from his rearview mirror and asked if I could pray for him. He gladly accepted, and I prayed for him. We could intercede for him physically and spiritually in God’s perfect timing.
The Lord is Our Model for Intercession
There is no more significant role model than Jesus, who interceded for us on the cross when He died for our sins. Also, we read about the intercession of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Romans 8:26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.[1]
Judah Intercedes for Benjamin
Joseph’s brothers had sold him into slavery in Egypt. Through circumstances only the Lord could bring about after many years of slavery, Joseph became the number two person in Egypt. During a severe drought, the brothers came to Egypt to purchase grain from Joseph, but they didn’t recognize him.
Joseph tests the brothers to determine if they have changed by placing his silver cup in his brother Benjamin’s grain sack. As they left, Egyptian officials stopped them and found the planted silver cup. What would the brothers do?
In our story, Judah steps forward to take his brother’s punishment. Genesis 44:33 “So please, my lord, let me (Judah) stay here as a slave instead of the boy and let the boy return with his brothers. 34 For how can I return to my father if the boy is not with me? I couldn’t bear to see the anguish this would cause my father!” [2]
Praying for God’s Intercession
While it is a gift from God to intercede for others, it is also a gift from the Lord to receive that same intercession. You may be in a situation where you are desperately calling out to the Lord for His intervention in your case. The Psalmist helps us remember the Lord hears us. Psalm 34:17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. [3]
To learn more about interceding for others, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/brothers-grow-in-faith
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation . Tyndale House Publishers.