NEWS & THOUGHTS ARCHIVE

The Practice of Intercession 

Evangelist Dr. Bob Sanders
November 1, 2008

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Genesis 19:27-29 “And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the Lord: And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.” 

Once again Abraham had made his way into the presence of the LORD. It was not a place that Abraham found uncomfortable or awkward because his actions were more than a seasonal preference, they were a steady practice. The practice was instituted by God when He called Abram out of the place and the practice of idolatry to worship the True and Living God. Since that time, Abraham had entered the presence of the LORD on numerous occasions! Those times consisted of the Sovereign’s instruction and the saint’s intercession. The sun began to cast its light upon a new day as Abraham made his way to a solitary place. The light soon reveals hideous clouds of smoke rising from the plains before Sodom and Gomorrah. The wrath of God had fallen upon the cities of the plains and Abraham immediately contemplated the successfulness of his intercession! Abraham vividly remembered that day; the Master, the meal, and the message (see Genesis 18). Over the pleasure of a meal, the Master had delivered a message of instruction concerning the fruitful womb of Sarah, and the fearful wrath of sinners! These instructions immediately encouraged the intercession of Abraham on Lot’s behalf; “wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?” (Genesis 18:24). Whether it be the intercession of the past or that of the present; the practice of intercession was the same. 

(I) The Place of Intercession – vs.27

Because of Abrahams nomadic tendencies, the physical place of intercession may not always have been the same, but the principles are eternal. The place of intercession would be a place of priority, “And Abraham gat up early . . . to the place.” Priorities are determined by what comes first! While there may have been a lot of important things that would require Abraham’s attention, his first priority was to meet with God. Abraham wanted the light of a new day to find him in the presence of the LORD. For the most part, the thing that comes first in a man’s life is his god! David, the sweet psalmist, would reinforce this truth when he said, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory” (Psalm 63:1-2). The person that would occupy the position of Lord had been settled in Abraham’s heart and his daily habits would prove it! 

The place of intercession was a place of privacy, “gat . . . to the place.” There is something interesting about Abraham’s intercession for Lot in Genesis 18. It was all done in privacy! In verse 16 the men rose up and Abraham accompanied them a short distance. The two angels turned toward Sodom, “but Abraham stood yet before the LORD” (vs.22). It is in that moment of privacy that Abraham interceded on behalf of the souls of men! When our Lord spoke on the principles of prayer in Matthew 6, He emphasized the importance of privacy when He said, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet” (vs.6). Please take special note of all the references to personal privacy; “But thou” “thy closet” “shut thy door” and “thy Father . . . in secret.” Abraham might publicly share his concerns about Lot with the saints, but he would first share them privately with the Sovereign! Much of our intercession is fruitless because we tell them, before we ever tell Him! Matthew 6 may reveal the truth as to why we are seeing so little visible results to our intercession; too little private intercession. 

The place of intercession was a place of presentation, “he stood before the LORD.” Abraham was mindful of the chief objective of intercession; it is not the petition, it is to get before a person! The word “stood” means to stand, appoint, continue, dwell, remain or dwell. The word “before” means, the face as that which turns, countenance, forefront or front. Abraham was going to stand before the face of God! While our first parents hid among the trees, Abraham openly presented himself before the throne. There is a truth here that is often missed. The merit of a petition is proportional to the merit of the person making it. While all that we receive from God is totally by grace, void of human merit, the character of the petitioner must be considered! In the book of James, the prayers failed to be answered because of the hearts of the petitioner. “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” James 4:3 Another example is found in Acts 19 where God had preformed a miraculous thing through the Apostle Paul (see verse 11-12). One such miracle was the casting out of demons. Seven individuals decided to duplicate this act by calling upon the name of Jesus. The disastrous outcome was the result of the individuals’ character and not the integrity of the command! Abraham knew that the productivity of intercession was closely related to the character of the intercessor! 

In the predawn hours Abraham made his way to a solitary place where he would meet with the LORD. It is more than a preference, it is a priority. There he would not only reveal the petitions of his heart, but the purity and purpose of his heart. These must be as righteous as the petition if he was to expect an answer! 

(II) The Purpose of Intercession – vs.28

As the sun made its way higher into the sky the increasing light revealed the magnitude of the devastation, “the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace.” It was then that Abraham’s heart reminded him of what his head knew concerning the purpose of intercession. The word “intercession” in the Old and New Testament means to come between, to entreat, to intercede in behalf of. Abraham took up a position of intercession. He had stood in the presence of a Holy God and interceded in behalf of his brethren. Abraham’s intercession revealed a charitable or compassionate purpose. Abraham’s intercession had no selfish roots, but issued forth from a heart of love. While Lot may have provoked Abraham’s intercession, it was for all those that were righteous that Abraham interceded (see Genesis 18:23). “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35 

Abraham’s intercession had a commanded purpose, “pray one for another” (James 5:16). When writing to the believers at Galatia, Paul said, “Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). All of us have these burdens; weights or loads that exert a downward pressure. Paul encouraged other believers to lift, bear, or to take up the burdens of the brethren for the purpose of removal. What better way to accomplish the task than through the process of intercession? 

Abraham’s intercession had a Christ-like purpose. Speaking of our Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, the writer of Hebrews said, “he ever liveth to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25). Seated there at the right hand of the Father, our Saviour, the Lord Jesus interceding for every believer! When we take on the role of intercession, we take on the likeness of Christ. Just before bearing our sin on Calvary, Jesus spoke to Simon Peter about a Satanic attack that Peter was to face. But, Christ did more than inform Peter, He interceded for Peter, “I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not” (Luke 22:32).  

When Abraham accepted the role of intercessor, he displayed the character of the “greater son” that would one day come through his blood line. Like that of the “Promised Seed”, Abraham too was motivated by love to assume the role of intercession. 

(III) The Product of Intercession – vs.29

The light of day revealed not the failure of intercession by a saint, but the fruit of iniquity by the sinner. While Abraham was unsure concerning the answer of intercession, he was totally confident concerning the assurance of intercession, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). The petition of Abraham may be called into question, but not the person of the Almighty! If there was one thing that Abraham was confident of, it was that his God would always act in a lawful and just manner! This truth was not only for Abraham, but it is for all that will take up the role of intercession, for intercession always yields a righteous product. 

The act of intercession will yield a rewarding product, “God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow.” It was not the integrity of Lot, but the intercession of Abraham that delivered three souls from the fiery inferno. The word “remembered” means to mark as to be recognized, to remember, to be mindful or to be in remembrance. God was mindful of the compassionate intercession of His child. Abraham may have been unaware of what his intercession had accomplished for the moment, but heaven will reveal the product of that day on the plains, when Abraham interceded with God for the souls of men. What will our record of intercession reveal when we stand before the Lord? Will it be a rewarding or a regretful experience? 

In the darkness of the predawn, Abraham made his way to his appointed meeting with the Lord. It would be a time of instruction and intercession. While the light revealed a time of wrath for some, it was a time of worship for Abraham as he presents himself before the LORD. Abraham took on the role of intercessor in the past and this day would be no different. For God is faithful to those that are faithful in the practice of intercession!