Read: Supplication and Intercession (Dr. Roels)

Introduction

In Lesson Three we learned that God is merciful and gracious and that He delights in hearing our prayers and answering them. We were reminded that nothing in our lives is too big or too small to be beyond His interest or concern. We saw that He is so great and His resources are so unlimited that we can be sure that nothing is impossible with God. And we were taught to focus first of all on the Lord Himself, because when we "delight ourselves in the LORD,” He will give us "the desires of our heart” (Psalm 37:4). When we read and studied all those wonderful truths, we were encouraged and renewed as we saw over and over again that God truly does hear us and answer us when we pray.

In Lesson Three, we focused primarily on physical or material blessings. Such blessings are obviously very significant and very important. However, as we saw in Lesson Four, it is possible to focus so much on physical and material blessings that we forget or neglect that which is most important--namely, loving God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength and loving others as ourselves.

In this Lesson, therefore, we will focus on three things:

(1) Prayers for SPIRITUAL blessings

(2) Prayers of INTERCESSION

(3) Prayers of SUPPLICATION

INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS

(1) Is it really possible to make a distinction between prayers for "material or physical blessings” and prayers for "spiritual blessings”? Are these not all interrelated?

Answer: All dimensions of our lives are interrelated in some way. However, there is a difference between focusing on our spiritual well-being and focusing on our physical or material needs and desires. In this Lesson we will focus in our prayer life on what we refer to as spiritual things.

(2) What are prayers of INTERCESSION?

Answer: In this Lesson we use the term "prayers of intercession” to refer to prayers that we offer on behalf of others rather than ourselves.

(3) What is the difference between prayers of SUPPLICATION and simple requests?

Answer: Both requests and supplications refer to prayers in which we ask God for specific blessings of some kind. However, it is possible to present a request to God without deep feeling and without an urgent sense of need. Supplications refer to requests that arise out of a sense of very deep feelings or very great need. For example, when someone we love is gravely ill or critically injured, we don't simply ask God for help. We plead for help. We know that without a special blessing from the Lord, our loved one might die. Prayers which are presented with great earnestness or deep feeling are referred to in this Lesson as prayers of supplication.

BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING

God richly and graciously blesses us in many wonderful ways. However, He does not want us to become "warehouses” where we store up blessings or treasures to spend on ourselves. Rather, He blesses us so that we may glorify and praise Him for what we receive and also serve others in His name. When we pray, therefore, we must always seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness rather than focusing primarily on temporal or material needs. Though most believers would probably agree with that, many people still tend to emphasize temporal blessings rather than spiritual blessings in their prayers.

Already early in the Old Testament we read that God chose Abraham to be the person through whom He would bless the entire world. God said to him, "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3). That promise was fulfilled primarily through Abraham's greatest descendant, Jesus Christ, who lived and died and rose again so that all who believe in Him might have eternal life.

Very often, however, Abraham's descendants forgot that they were chosen by God to be a blessing to others. As a result, they frequently focused on themselves, emphasized their special position in the world as God's children, and concentrated on their own personal comforts and successes. When Jesus came into the world two thousand years after Abraham, most of the Jews were still looking for an earthly kingdom, earthly power, earthly prestige and earthly glory.

Even Jesus' disciples seemed at first to be primarily concerned about their own honor and position in this life. Jesus had to remind them repeatedly not to seek earthly glory and power for themselves--but to love and serve others in His name. (See Matthew 18:1-4; Matthew 20:20-21; Matthew 23:11; Mark 9:34-35; Luke 9:46-48; Luke 22:24-27; John 13:13-15; John 13:34-35; John 15:12-13, 17.)

The Apostle Peter also reminded believers that God had chosen them in Christ so that they might bring praise to God. He wrote:

"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

The Apostle Paul emphasized the same theme when he wrote to the church in Ephesus:

"He predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved” (Ephesians 1:5-6). See also Ephesians 1:11-12 and 1:14.

FOCUSING ON SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS

It's true that there are many wonderful things in this world for us to enjoy--and God has made it possible for us to enjoy them. However, God does not want us to focus on these things as if they are the most important things in our lives. They definitely aren't! The pleasures may not be wrong, but the temptation exists to maximize that which is less important while neglecting that which is of greatest importance.

The Apostle John warns us not to give in to that temptation. He wrote, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17).

The Apostle Paul was also keenly aware of the temptation to focus on secondary things and to neglect that which is primary, but he personally was given the grace to triumph joyfully over that temptation. He wrote:

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him” (Philippians 3:8-9).

In his letter to the Ephesians Paul described the kind of lives which believers should pursue--lives of purity, holiness, obedience, and compassion (Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:1-20). And in his letter to the Galatians he taught that when we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, our lives will produce spiritual fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-12). These are the kinds of spiritual blessings on which we should focus and these are the blessings for which we should most earnestly pray.

PRAYING FOR SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your name may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.” Psalm 67:1-2

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” Philippians 1:9-11

Paul prayed for believers "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.” Ephesians 1:17-18

"For this reason I bow my knees before the Father . . . that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” Ephesians 3:14-16

JESUS' EXAMPLE OF PRAYING FOR OTHERS

When Jesus was on earth, He prayed frequently and earnestly to His Father in heaven. In His passionate High Priestly prayer, recorded in John 17:1-26, He prayed for His disciples and for all who would later come to believe in Him, focusing primarily on spiritual needs and blessings. On the night before His crucifixion, He prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail (Luke 22:32). And on many other occasions He prayed for long periods of time, almost certainly including the spiritual needs of others in His prayers.

Jesus also continues to pray for us from His place of glory in heaven. In Hebrews 7:25 we read, "[Jesus] is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” 1 John 2:1 assures us that "if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” And in Romans 8:34 we read, "Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.”

We are greatly encouraged by Jesus' gracious prayers on our behalf. However, we should also be inspired to follow His example. If Jesus continues to pray for us in heaven, we certainly should pray for others while we are on earth! The Bible does not tell us whether or not believers are able to pray for people after they have gone to be with the Lord in heaven, but it definitely does encourage us to pray for each other now!

But praying for others can be very costly in terms of time and energy and commitment. In order for us to pray meaningfully for others, we must know what their needs and concerns are. And that may take a lot of time and effort. We must also persevere in prayer when answers to our prayers do not come immediately. And we must be patient when we hear more about continuing needs than we hear about victories and successes.

We must also be willing to be the answer to our own prayers by giving, helping, and providing what others need. If we pray for the material needs of others, we should be prepared to share with them what we already have. If we pray that they will be able to find a meaningful job, we should help them find work. If they have some other need--whether physical, material or spiritual, we should willingly help to meet that need in any way we can.

We must also be diligent in living the kind of Christian life we want others to live. If we pray that others will grow in grace, we should ourselves live an exemplary life of obedience. If we pray that they will find joy and peace in their lives, we should demonstrate joy and peace in our own lives. If we want them to know the love of Christ, we should show that love in how we live. As an old familiar saying reminds us, "YOU may be the only Bible that some people will ever read!”

Praying for others is an important and wonderful ministry of love and obedience. Even when we ourselves cannot provide the help that others need, we know Someone who can! And it is our privilege and responsibility to bring the needs of others to Him. He is able to do far more than we can ever ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20) and He loves His people with an everlasting love.

EXAMPLES OF PRAYING FOR OTHERS

Abraham prayed earnestly that God would spare the people of Sodom. Genesis 18:22-32

"Moses cried out to the Lord, 'O God, please heal her--please.'” Numbers 12:13

Moses prayed, "'Please pardon the iniquity of this people, according to the greatness of your steadfast love, just as you have forgiven this people, from Egypt until now.” Numbers 14:19

David prayed that God would remove the plague from his people.1 Chronicles 21:17

Jesus said, "Bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” Luke 6:28

Stephen prayed: "'Lord, do not hold this sin against them.'” Acts 7:60

To the believers in Rome Paul wrote: "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” Romans 10:1

To the believers in Thessalonica Paul wrote: "We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12

PRAYING SINCERELY AND WITH PASSION

Many people offer up prayers to the Lord without demonstrating either passion or compassion. They may be genuinely sincere, but neither their speech nor their actions demonstrate any kind of intensity or urgency. They "mention” the names of people in their prayers, but they do so without much feeling. They ask God to "bless” certain people or to meet certain needs, but they do so rather routinely.

God does hear those prayers and He often graciously grants what people ask for. But feeble, passionless prayers usually do not result in the kind of powerful, miraculous responses the Bible frequently describes. In most cases in the Bible when God responded to prayer with a demonstration of special power, the answer came in response to an earnest and passionate prayer.

It's important to remember, however, that earnest, passionate prayer does not have to be loud or prolonged or expressed in eloquent speech. Sincerity and passion are matters of the heart, not a matter of volume or length or choice of words. According to James 5:16, it is "the prayer of a righteous man” that is powerful and effective. Quiet, humble prayers--even silent prayers which express the deepest desires of our hearts--can be sincere, intense, powerful, and effective.

There are many times, however, when the sincerity and passion of those who pray is reflected in what they do or in the words they use when they pray. For example, sometimes prayer is accompanied by fasting. Sometimes prayers are bathed in tears. Many times people "cry out” to the Lord as they seek relief from their distress. Others plead earnestly with the Lord, passionately begging Him for needed help. And some will continue to pray with perseverance and passion until they receive what they ask for.

In addition to praying with perseverance and passion, it is important to pray with faith, fully trusting that God will hear what we ask for and grant what we desire. Prayers of faith may be offered with the greatest confidence when we are seeking to bear spiritual fruit to the honor and glory of God, thus demonstrating the truth of Jesus' words recorded in John 15:16: "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit . . . so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

PRAYERS OF SUPPLICATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Although people in Old Testament times did not yet know the mercy and love and kindness of Jesus, they did know that their God was a powerful, merciful, loving, and compassionate God. They also believed that God heard their prayers and would graciously answer them. It is not surprising, then, that the Old Testament contains many passionate prayers of believing saints who offered their earnest supplications to the One who could save, rescue, protect, and forgive them.

"How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I take counsel in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all the day? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me? Consider and answer me, O LORD my God. Light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.” Psalm 13:1-3

"With my voice I cry out to the LORD . . . Attend to my cry for I am brought very low. Deliver me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me! Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name!” Psalm 142:1, 6-7

Moses said, "I lay prostrate before the LORD for these forty days and forty nights because the LORD had said he would destroy you. I prayed to the LORD, 'O LORD God, do not destroy your people.'” Deuteronomy 9:25-26

"David . . . sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.” 2 Samuel 12:16

"Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD and said, 'Please, O Lord, remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight.' And Hezekiah wept bitterly.” Isaiah 38:2-3

Daniel wrote: "Then I turned my face to the LORD God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.” Daniel 9:3

Nehemiah wrote: "As soon as I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.” Nehemiah 1:4-6

JESUS AND PRAYERS OF SUPPLICATION

The New Testament also has many references to prayer, though it does not have as many specific prayers of "passionate intercession” as those listed above. Interestingly, some of the most passionate prayers recorded in the New Testament are the prayers of Jesus Himself. Although we do not know exactly what Jesus prayed for in every situation, we know that He sometimes prayed to His Father all night (Luke 6:12) or early in the morning (Mark 1:35). The Gospels also contain references to Jesus' fervent prayers while He was in the garden of Gethsemane before His crucifixion and also while He was on the cross.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, "Jesus knelt down and prayed, saying, Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. . . . And being in an agony, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” Luke 22:44

While He was on the cross, "Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'” Matthew 27:46

In some of His parables, Jesus also referred to the importance of sincere and even passionate prayer.

Jesus said, "Will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night?” Luke 18:7

In His parable about the tax collector and the religious Pharisee, we read that "the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!'” Luke 18:13

THE APOSTLE PAUL AND PRAYERS OF SUPPLICATION

At one point in his life, the apostle Paul was given some kind of "thorn in the flesh” which significantly affected his ministry. He wrote about this thorn in these words: "A thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me” (2 Corinthians 12:7-8). However, in spite of Paul's earnest prayers and great faith, the thorn was not removed. Instead of getting what he had asked for, God gave him "sufficient grace” to deal with the thorn so that he could continue his God-appointed ministry.

Paul's "unanswered passionate prayer” did not keep him either from working or from praying or from urging others to continue to pray. Read the following references to Paul's emphasis on offering prayers of supplication to the Lord.

To the believers in Thessalonica Paul wrote: "We pray most earnestly night and day that we may see you face to face and supply what is lacking in your faith.” 1 Thessalonians 3:10

To the Christians in Colossae he wrote:" We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” Colossians 1:9-10

To believers in Rome, he wrote: "I appeal to you, brothers . . . to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.” Romans 15:30

To the Philippian believers he wrote: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanks-giving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

To the Christians in Ephesus he wrote: "praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication . . . making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly as I ought to speak.” Ephesians 6:18-20

OTHER REFERENCES TO PRAYERS OF SUPPLICATION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Believers continued to pray fervently as the church began to grow and missionaries were sent out to other lands. In Acts 4:31, we find that after the believers prayed, "the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” Sometime later believers were fasting and praying when the Lord answered their prayers to determine who would be the first "foreign missionaries” (Acts 13:2-3).

In Acts 12 we read that the Roman authorities killed the apostle James and then put Peter in prison, preparing to execute him within a few days. "Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church” (Acts 12:6-17). God answered those fervent prayers and miraculously set Peter free from prison and brought him to the home where the believers were praying.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

God often gives us wonderful physical and material blessings in answer to our prayers, and we should be very grateful for each one of them. However, the primary goal of our lives should not be to become rich, comfortable, or blessed with a superabundance of material things. Rather, our prayer life should focus first of all on bearing spiritual fruit that will bring glory to God and blessing to others.

As Jesus Himself taught us, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.” John 15:16