The Work of Intercession
“The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they
oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the alien, denying them justice. I looked for a man among them who would build
up the wall and stand before Me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not
have to destroy it, but I found none.”
Ezk. 22:29-30
Intercession is not for the faint of heart, for there is
a battle going on! The good news is
that we have won, we are winning, and we shall win! Praying from the position of victory is our
first key!
Our work is the work of prayer. God’s work is fighting the battle and
releasing the victory from heaven to earth.
This is not to say we are exempt from anything other than prayer –
indeed we are all “ministers of
reconciliation.” But prayer comes
first. Prayer is pre-eminent. It is through prayer that we receive the
instructions from God about the ministry we may be called to. The disciples saw this and understood it in
the early church. Acts 6:4 states: “But we will give ourselves continually to
prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”
Prayer opens what was
closed. It unlocks mysteries of the
Kingdom of God. Intercessory prayer
births revival in nations. The work of
intercession releases divine protection for those laboring in the
vineyard. It looses healing. It unchains souls. Intercession approaches God boldly and
acknowledges He is true to His word, for “God
is not a man that He should lie.”
As intercessors watch from the position on the wall (for
a higher view and perspective), we identify any breaches or gap in the walls
built to protect our land. Throughout
the history of Israel, military leaders such as David built walls to fortify or
strengthen their land and their battle position. Perhaps David learned this application from
his days as a shepherd, when building a hedgerow around the sheep was a way to
protect and preserve the flock. May we be found faithful to the call of
intercession and follow the example of Jesus, our great intercessor in heaven.
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