1 Sam 12:23 Intercessory Prayer CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

Intercessory prayer is such an important aspect of our Christian lives, but it is also probably one of the most neglected.  We all need to be encouraged to pray more for each other and for the lost.  Notice:

The Holy Spirit intercedes – Rom 8:26 – when he prays for us he helps us because we don’t always know what to pray for, but he does.  He prays with “groanings which cannot be uttered,” so his prayer language is inaudible.  And Paul said when he prayed that he prayed with the understanding [1 Cor 14:15].  So, there isn’t some mysterious prayer language.

The Lord Jesus Christ intercedes – Rom 8:34 – so he prays for us as well because there are many necessities and many adversaries in the Christian life.

We are to intercede – 1 Tim 2:1-3 – this is a command from the Lord and it is also good and acceptable with him.  If you want something to do for the Lord that is beneficial to the  ministry and is acceptable with God, pray for others.  Specifically we are instructed to pray for all men and for men in authority.  The outcome is that we can continue to lead quite and peaceful lives in all godliness and honesty.

• Pray for the Lost – Heb 7:25 – Jesus does.  George Mueller was a great intercessor for his lost friends.  He prayed for 5 of them to get saved and all 5 got saved, 2 after he was dead.  A bed-ridden saint prayed for souls to get saved during a protracted evangelistic meeting and, I believe, 57 folks for whom she prayed received Jesus.
• Pray for Laborers – Matt 9:36-38 – we were given specific instructions to do this.  The harvest truly is plenteous and there are still not enough laborers.
• Pray for your Pastor – Eph 6:19, Phil 1:19 – pray especially for his boldness and pray for his safety.  Today’s “seeker-friendly” atmosphere is anything but conducive to bold preaching.  Yet a preacher who preaches boldly is desperately needed and is subject to much affliction and tribulation.  You need him and he needs your prayers.

There is much more on intercessory prayer but we’ll have to preach it in another message.