He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; and His own righteousness, it sustained Him. Isaiah 59:16.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
Is there no one to intercede? I look for intercessors to stand in the gap to keep My people from being destroyed.
The people of the land have practiced oppression and committed robbery, and they have wronged the poor and needy and have oppressed the sojourner without justice. I searched for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before Me for the land, so that I would not destroy it; but I found no one. Thus I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; their way I have brought upon their heads,” declares the LORD God. Ezekiel 22:29-31,
When people, cities, nations, go astray, I look for intercessors—those who will stand in the gap and pray for those who are going astray and authorize Me to intervene in their lives. For My plans for you are shalom and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. It is not My desire that any should perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9.
I warned Abraham of the judgment of destruction that would fall on the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and he interceded for them, but not far enough, there was only one righteous man in both cities and I saved him and his family due to Abraham’s intercession.
And I tell you that Abraham was a prophet as well. I told Abimelech that Abraham was a prophet in the context of him interceding for Abimelech so that he would live and not die under My sentence of divine justice.
“Now therefore, restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.” Genesis 20:7.
And this encounter between Abraham and Abimelech is the first time I use the word “prophet” in the Bible and it is paired with intercessory prayer. Prophecy and intercession go together. Intercessors must also be prophets so that they are aware who to pray for, what to pray for, and to edify, exhort and encourage. Prophets are simply people who have hearts for Me, love My Word, and step aside and listen to Me. Those who are indifferent to My Word are indifferent to Me and will never be prophets. And they will never be intercessors. To be an intercessor you have to know Me and My ways. You have to know that I am good and want people healed, blessed and saved. And you must have My same desire that all people be saved and receive My benefits. If you hate someone, you will not intercede for their good. You will just want them out of your life.
My prophets interceded and also delivered My Words to the people to bring them back to Me. I will that all people be saved and come to know the truth, and I ask you first of all, to offer entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority. And this is good and acceptable in My sight. 1 Timothy 2:1-6.
I appointed Moses a prophet and an intercessor for My people Israel. Again and again he stood in the gap with Me to obtain a good result for their lives when they sinned and were slated for divine judgment. And he told the people that I would one day raise up a prophet like him from among their own countrymen, and I would put My words in his mouth, and He would speak to them all that I commanded him. Deuteronomy 18:18-19. He was speaking of Jesus.
Hezekiah took the threats of the enemy and laid it before Me in the temple and interceded for the protection, deliverance, and victory of My people and I answered by another prophet and intercessor, Isaiah. And that night I sent My angel and he struck down 185,000 of the enemy army with no battle in the flesh, only in the Spirit.
Once they were in the Promised Land and were prospering, My people would begin to forsake Me for other gods and soon would be involved in violence, cheating their countrymen, defrauding the poor, and losing knowledge of My Word. So I looked for intercessors to stand in the gap. But I saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor; therefore I came down and saved you Myself in Jesus. My own arm brought salvation; and My own righteousness, it sustained Him. Isaiah 59:16.
Yes, I sent Jesus as your sin offering, Savior, Shepherd, Healer, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, but I also sent Him as your intercessor, and when I raised Him from the dead I consecrated and ordained Him as your great High Priest forever. He saves you from the wrath (tribulation) to come.
My own arm brought Salvation (Yeshuah) and He gave you My own righteousness as your own when He took all your sins away from you and bore them in His own flesh.
I so love you that I gave My Son so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. I did not send My Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. John 3:16-17.
And what is Jesus doing now at My right hand since I raised Him up from the dead? He is interceding for you.
Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Romans 8:34.
Jesus is your great High Priest forever according to the Order of Melchizedek. Melchizedek means the “King of righteousness.”
Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost, completely and forever, those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25.
And for whom is he interceding? Those who draw near to Me through Him. The redeemed. And He is asking you to join Him in His prayer of intercession as His body in the world.
And what did High Priests do under the Old Covenant to intercede for the people and once a year for the entire nation? They took the blood of the lamb and sprinkled it on the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies. And that is how My Son intercedes for you as well, by His blood which speaks better than the blood of Abel. Hebrews 12:24. And if you walk in the Light of Christ, His blood continually cleanses you by His constant intercession for you before My throne.
When Christ appeared as the High Priest of the good things to come, He entered not through an earthly tabernacle but through the greater and more perfect heavenly tabernacle, upon which the tabernacle of Moses was patterned, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of lambs, goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
When you are in a trial or test and everything in your life seems to be going wrong, take comfort as you tell yourself that you are not facing this alone, Jesus, your great High Priest is interceding for you at every moment and He is able to do far more than you can ask or imagine. And what is He praying for you the redeemed in His blood? That your faith will never fail, for if your faith is strong, you will be strong, and you will have the victory.
“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Luke 22:31-32.
Jesus interceded for Peter and he got through the worst trial and failure of his life. And when Peter turned back to Me it was then time for him to intercede for his brethren that their faith would never fail. And he did, even for you.
Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a precious faith of the same value as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:1-4.
And again, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 1 Peter 5:8-11.
Jesus intercedes for you by His blood on the Mercy Seat before Me and you must intercede in like manner. Moses took the blood from the sin offering and the peace offering and poured half on the altar and the other half on the people. Offer up spiritual sacrifice as My royal priesthood, that is, the blood to obtain the benefits from Me and then cover your brethren with the blood for their protection and deliverance from the destroyer.
You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5.
And intercessory prayer can also be prayed in tongues. The Holy Spirit also helps your weakness; for you do not know how to pray as you should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for you with groanings too deep for words; and I, who search hearts, know what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the believers according to My Will. Romans 8:26-27.
My Words are pure words. They clean you as you hear them and speak them. Jesus washes His body the church with the pure water of the Word.
Intercession is prayer for another’s welfare, from an individual to a family to a city to a nation to the nations. Intercession seeks deliverance, avoidance of punishment or wrath, and, above all, for salvation in every situation. Many times it will be on behalf of another who otherwise would not pray. It is standing in the gap.
Sometimes though a person and nation is so entrenched in deadly sins, I tell you not to intercede since it will not be effective and is a waste of your precious time and Mine. You must shake the dust from your feet and move on.
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. 1 John 5:16-17,
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. And have mercy on some, who are doubting; save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh. Jude 1:20-23.
And with the prophet Jeremiah, I told him,
As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you. Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? The children gather wood for the sacrificial offerings to other gods, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven; and they pour out drink offerings to other gods in order to spite Me. Do they spite Me?” declares the LORD. “Is it not themselves they spite, to their own shame?” Jeremiah 7:16-19.
Be careful who you befriend and whose ways you learn. It is a serious matter to Me and to you. Stay close to your great High Priest and come with confidence to My throne to intercede before Me with the spiritual sacrifice of the blood of My Son. And the voice of thanksgiving brings wonders.
I love you. Be secure in any situation, for Jesus is interceding for you. You have help when you need it. Lean on Him at all times. He lives to forever intercede for you. The Lamb in the center of the throne is your Shepherd, great High Priest and redemption. Forever. He leads you to springs of living water. Give everyone a drink and that is intercession.