Purpose: Intercessory prayer is given for others and we receive it for ourselves as a benefit. The hands of God are always with us and supporting those things for which we are created.
Intercessory prayer is love embodied by and through the Holy Spirit, which spreads to create the love-filled bride of Christ and a love-filled individual who accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Savior.
…a prayer experience…
The Bible testifies to God’s desire for us to pray for others. The Holy Spirit helps and intercedes on our behalf. The painting depicts the Holy Spirit’s place in interceding and helping us through His groans to express what we should be praying as we pray.
The bottom hands reflect mankind; the hands on the side symbolically represent the Holy Spirit’s intercession for us. The world needs intercessory prayer, and our hearts need to listen to the world’s cries. Faces appearing in various places emerge around the world to represent those being lifted up to the Lord. The cross’ base rests on the world just above the right bottom hand. The right half of the crossbeam stretches over toward the symbolic hands of the Holy Spirit. The cross identifies Christ’s coming and the manner of His death. The empty cross symbolizes we have a risen Christ Jesus, who intercedes on our behalf because He took our place.
In John 17:20, Christ Jesus, Himself, prayed on our behalf. In Hebrews 9 we read that Christ, our mediator, the High Priest, intercedes for us. Paul, also, wrote in 1 Timothy 2:1 we are to pray for others; it pleases Christ. He says in 1 Colossians 1:9 to continuously pray. Stephen asked in Acts 9 while being stoned that the Lord “…lay not this sin to their charge….” Daniel too, Daniel 9:3 prayed on behalf of his nation and himself, asking for forgiveness of sin. We find Nehemiah in Nehemiah 1:4-11 prayed and fasted day and night for God to hear as he confessed the sins of his people and himself for disobedience and not keeping the commandments. The Bible shows repentance grants us God’s peace as well as places us under the shadow of His wings. What thoughts did the painting make you aware of in your daily walk with the Lord?
The Bible contains numerous intercessory prayers that testify to God’s desire for us to pray for others. As we pray to the Sovereign Father through the name of Jesus, let us call on the Spirit for His help so we pray as we ought. Indeed, if we have love, we have the Holy Spirit in us for love comes from and through Him.
Therefore, intercessory prayer is love and discipleship. It is loving care for brethren through prayer. It is a prayer for someone lost to have a heart soften before we tell the Good News of Jesus. Have you prayed specifically for someone lately? Now is the right time.
Leave a Reply