This message will be a revelation to your heart of what intercession will be like in the days of the Kingdom, and why it is essential that the end-time restoration be geared a great deal to the ministry of prayer and intercession.
No one can have an effective ministry without also being an intercessor. As an apostle, Paul prayed day and night for those to whom he ministered.
We do not yet understand the principle of intercession in the realm of spirit or how it works. All we know is that it touches upon some law, some release of the omnipotence and omniscience of God that supersedes every other principle operative in any realm—whether it be the spirit realm, any realm of any science or of the universe itself.
Prayer and intercession reverses every law as we know it. We all know that liquid flows, yet by the power of God loosed through Moses’ intercession to the Lord, water rolled up on the banks and stood there. It did not even seep through to the ground below, for when the Israelites walked on the bed of the Red Sea, the ground was dry. We have never known water to pile up, and yet the waters of the Jordan River did just that. Can you imagine such a thing? It seems impossible.
The principle of prayer and intercession is most fantastic. When we come into the restoration of the power of prayer, we will then see the mighty signs and wonders. “They that know their God will be strong and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32). We will know then what Jesus meant when He said, “Greater works than these shall ye do, because I go to My Father” (John 14:12). How can we understand the principle of intercession until we understand that Father, Son and Spirit, the triune God, are principally engaged in the united role of intercession?
Romans 8:19 tells how all creation is subject to vanity, waiting for the sons of God to come into their inheritance so the whole creation can be loosed.
Then we read in verses 26 and 27: And in like manner (speaking of our waiting, groaning, crying out for our release) the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity: for we know not how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered; and he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Romans 8:31–34 tells us, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not also with him freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth? It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
The Holy Spirit, crying out according to the will of God because He is so anxious to know the depth of the heart of God, makes intercession for us.
According to Hebrews 7:25, Christ is interceding at the right hand of the Father: Wherefore also he is able to save to the uttermost them that draw near unto God through him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
The constant intercession of Christ, as well as His suffering and death upon the cross, would be of no effect—not a soul in the world would claim it or be saved—if it were not for the living truth of someone praying. I do not believe anyone comes into Christ unless someone has interceded or is praying for him.
This is a principle. If you do not pray, nothing happens. When you intercede, things happen.
According to I John 2:1 Christ is ever praying to the Father. My little children, these things write I unto you that ye may not sin. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate (or attorney—meaning literally “one who stands along side”) with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. We can be forgiven, because a special attorney, pleading our cause, stands before the great Judge, holding out hands with the nail prints in them, and says, “Father, this one needs mercy.”
His intercession for us makes real and valid—it puts into action—the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf.
Then is it not important that you pray, too? Is it not important that you learn how to intercede before the face of the Lord?
If Jesus Christ thinks it is important, if the Holy Spirit is continually doing it, if the whole order of heaven and earth is so ordained, then we had better get with it and learn what prayer and intercession is to mean. There is a reason why prayer is so important.
When Jesus ascended back to the Father, He said, “I’ll pray the Father and He’ll send you the Holy Spirit.” It does not happen automatically.
Luke 6:12, 13 reveals the same thought: And he continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called his disciples; and he chose from them twelve, whom also he named apostles.
Didn’t the Son of God know how to conduct discipleship any other way than to continue all night in prayer? Can’t we learn to intercede the same way? This great restoration is not going to happen automatically, but only through the principle of intercession and prayer, for the Lord says, “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of latter rain.” There is no other way because this is what God has ordained.
Isaiah 56:7 tells us, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” We are not promoting zealous prayer coming forth on a soulish or fleshly level, but we are entering into an agony of spirit directly related to the intercession of the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Echo it in your heart, “I must become a man or woman of prayer. I must become one given to intercession.” In everything we ought to seek the face of the Lord.
Are you saying, “What can I do? I don’t even know how to pray.” You can co-operate with the Holy Spirit in His intercession.
I strongly recommend that every Spirit-filled believer exercise himself continually in the flow of tongues in praise and prayer when he does not know what else to do.
After all, the Spirit is framing your words beyond your understanding; but you are giving thanks well, you are praying well, according to the will of God. The church must certainly give itself to intercession.
A new day of intercession is being born. Do not despise it. When you see some of the people stand and raise their voices, crying out to God, do not despise their fervor for a single minute just because you do not understand it.
Pray for God to show you. This spontaneous free flow of fervent prayer is marvelous. People are beginning to feel something and give themselves to something for the first time in their lives.
There will be no deadness in this restoration. More and more it will come alive, for a vital and driving fervor in our spirits demands that we be people of prayer.
We might wonder what prayer (or the equivalent of prayer) was like before the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, and what prayer will be like when the Kingdom age is set.
We might speculate concerning it, but we can go further than that and look in the Word to find out. We read early in the book of Genesis that men built altars and began to call upon the name of the Lord.
Prayer has become a degenerated form down through the years. However, I think we have a trace of what prayer must have been in the beginning.
There is a current emphasis on the power of positive thinking, showing how you can set your course on certain things, and see them come to pass in an amazing way.
This power of positive thinking is an exercise of a very small trace of a force that was resident in the spirit of man before the fall, when he had dominion over all the works of God’s hands and found it easy to see his desires come to pass.
I do not preach the power of positive thinking as it is generally taught in books because I regard that as an Ishmael manifestation and it is not complete. However, I do believe that the power of positive believing prayer will be restored to its pure form, of which this power of positive thinking is just a little shadow.
Three passages in Isaiah reveal truths about the day of intercession in the Kingdom.
Isaiah 62:1–7 is more or less a picture of what intercession should be right now. For Zion’s sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest, until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her salvation as a lamp that burneth. And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory, and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Jehovah shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah; for Jehovah delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem: (here is a change to a directive word) they shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that are Jehovah’s remembrancers, take ye no rest, and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.
An intercessor has a wonderful time as the Lord’s remembrancer. He says, “Lord, I remember the things You have prophesied through Your servants; I have them written down.
I thank You for these precious promises, Lord, and I’m reminding You that they’re due.” Give Him no rest. You come to the Lord and say, “Lord, how about that promise? I’m waiting.”
Be a remembrancer. Come and rejoice before the Lord continually reminding Him of what He has said. Intercession is not begging; it is an amazing way of loosing God’s arm. He Himself ordained it to be so.
Isaiah 65:17–25 reveals what intercession will be like in the Kingdom. For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying. There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree shall be the days of my people (I’ll choose a redwood), and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for calamity; for they are the seed of the blessed of Jehovah, and their offspring with them. (Isn’t that wonderful? Now, what about prayer?) And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith Jehovah.
What a beautiful picture of the Kingdom. Some of it is symbolic, but it will be very realistically fulfilled. I like the description of prayer: before they call, He will answer and while they are yet speaking, He will hear. Prayers will be answered without the groaning and crying and agonizing.
The Prophet spoke of the day in which the promises would no more be deferred (Ezekiel 12:25).
People will not have to linger and wait saying, “I had a word from the Lord and it never came to pass. I grew weary.” Many promises would have come to pass, but the people grow too weary of waiting. However, now we are breaking through to the Kingdom intercession.
You may like the tediousness of waiting around, but I have never been one to understand the virtue of patience. I can understand enduring trials and tribulations, but I cannot understand the passive attitude of patience.
It parades as a virtue and I think most of the time it is an abomination. I am glad for the new translations that deliver us from that King James word, “patience,” and bring it forth “endurance.” There is a big difference.
We are going to endure, we are pressing on—but that does not mean we are going to sanction or approve of the thing that is taking place.
Instead, we begin each day, “Lord, I’m entering this day under protest again, because I’m standing on a promise that I want fulfilled. I’m claiming it with all my heart. Be Thou glorified now in its answer. Now, now, now! Lord.”
If He can say “Now,” to us, we can say, “Now,” to Him. He says, “Now is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted time.” And we say, “Right now we believe that, Lord; now, today we call for an answer.”
What will happen? Hear the word of Jehovah, ye that tremble at his word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, have said, Let Jehovah be glorified, that we may see your joy; but it is they that shall be put to shame. A voice of tumult from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of Jehovah that rendereth recompense to his enemies. Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man-child.
Does that sound like a lot of grunting and groaning? It is true, when Zion travails she will bring forth. But this promise of the Kingdom intercession shows that the intercession was in the earth at the coming of the manchild.
Isaiah 66:5–9.Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? saith Jehovah: shall I that cause to bring forth shut the womb? saith thy God.
We do not know yet what will happen once we break through to the restoration of that intercession. Before the pains of travail come, the results will be there. Do you understand that this is the revelation concerning intercession?
We have read these passages many times, but we have never noticed the time element involved. It does not say, “Let’s start travailing and in a few years we will see something happen.” Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a manchild.
We will not find it difficult. It is important that we storm heaven with prayer right now. We are on the verge of a restoration of faith, of intercession, of authority, of judgment in the earth that requires a preparation of heart.