Intercession
Genesis 18:23-32 “Will you sweep away both the righteous and the wicked? Suppose you find fifty righteous people living there in the city–will you still sweep it away and not spare it for their sakes? Surely, you wouldn’t do such a thing. destroying the righteous along with the wicked. Why, you would be treating the righteous and the wicked exactly the same! Surely you wouldn’t do that! Should not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?” And the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will spare the city for their sake.” Then Abraham spoke again. “Since I have begun, let me speak further to my LORD, even though I am but dust and ashes. Suppose there are only forty-five righteous people rather than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And the LORD said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five righteous people there.” Then Abraham pressed his request further. “Suppose there are only forty?” And the LORD replied, :I will not destroy it for the sake of the forty.” “Please don’t be angry, my Lord,” Abraham pleaded. “Let me speak–suppose only thirty righteous are found?” And the LORD replied, “I will not destroy it if I find thirty.” Then Abraham said, “Since I have dared to speak to the Lord, let me continue–supposed there are only twenty?”. . . Finally, Abraham said, “Lord, please don’t be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?” And the LORD replied, “Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.”
Exodus 32:11-14 But Moses tried to pacify the LORD his God. “O LORD,” he said. “Why are you so angry with your own people whom you have brought from the land of Egypt with such great power and such a strong hand? Why let the Egyptians say, ‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from your fierce anger. Change your mind about this terrible disaster you have threatened against your people! Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars of heaven. And I will give them all of this land that I have promised to your descendants, and they will possess it forever.'” So the Lord changed his mind about the terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on his people.
Esther 5,6 Esther interceded with the king to save her people and to have Haman destroyed
Isaiah 53:12 I will give him the honors of a victorious soldier, because he exposed himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.
Acts 26:16-18 . . . “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. Tell people that you have seen me, and tell them what I will show you in the future. And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’
Romans 8:10, 34 And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. . . . Who then will condemn us? No one–for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.
Colossians 1:9-10 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the LORD, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
Colossians 2:11 When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision–the cutting away of your sinful nature.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives, forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
Have you pled with God for someone else–perhaps because of illness, or they are a non-believer, or are going through a very rough patch in their life? Since I have several people in my sphere who are not believer, I pray prayers of intercession for them daily. And although I know God hears me the first time, I also think it important enough to spend my time and heart at interceding for those I love and am concerned will spend their eternal life in the fires of damnation. These people are kinder, more outgoing, helpful and loving to others than I am; and the idea they do not even try to seek Jesus/God/ the Holy Spirit boggles me. I know those who died, drowned during the Great Flood did not believe it was coming. They decided they still had time, thought Noah and his family were ‘a bit tetched’ and therefore did not have to seek safety on this mega boat.
I have a fear of drowning–who knows why, but I do. I choose not to die in that manner. And if I end up with congestive heart failure or some other reason my lungs are not working well, I hope there is plenty of morphine to soothe and take that fear and anxiety away.
Thankfully, God promised no more floods to destroy the entire earth. But much of the world is a mess. There are hungry people, poor wondering how to keep themselves and family dry, warm enough, clothed, bathed and so forth. Their fears are real while they are living in the situation, people are living with unstable persons, maybe even of their own family, but they have a persistent underlying fear of the person. Guns are prevalent, and not just guns, but automatic weapons that can kill large number of people in moments, there is information all over the internet regarding how to make plastic firearms, make bombs, start fires to get the most damage and hurt, and those who deeply believe they have the right to hold another against the other’s will and enslave, abuse, torture, or kill them.
So I pray intercessory prayers for those who are not saved, ill, unemployed families, families and caregivers dealing with illness, neurological handicaps, burn victims, and so much more. But I am fervent about my family stubbornly resisting learning about Jesus and the way to peace and salvation. I hate the idea of anyone I love missing the eternal life because they are too stubborn, believe they are right and doing fine on their own, and believing all their blessings are the result of their own decisions, working, and choices. They have used the gift God gave us to have free choice, to CHOOSE not to believe. My prayers are that someone other than myself will speak to them and open their eyes.
Jesus is our intercessor, and thank God You had it all planned out from the Fall in the Garden on, just how to bring us back into your fold. You had many who were faithful and believed in You–Abraham, Moses, Joseph, Noah. Isaiah, Job and so many others. I believe it is part of our duty to pray for healing–physical, mental and certainly soul, and to ask you to put others in the path of non believers so they are hearing the same message and then have the desire to seek you. I am blessed that my name was written in your book, and Jesus has interceded for me and ‘mybellaviews.’
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