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Prayer One of the distinctives of the early Church was their diligent and deliberate practice of
prayer. They were not passive, but assumed and maintained an aggressive approach in their praying, bringing before the Lord all matters, both small and great. Acts 2:42 shows how they continued in the fullness of the
Spirit: "And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." The word for prayer is the general and most frequently used word for
prayer: proseuchomai. The meaning of the word is best understood from its separate parts: pros: toward; euchomai: wish. Prayer is what is "wished toward" God. The word is also used in the Greek
language meaning "to approach, to come toward a place where one is accepted; an open approach." We come to Him, and have access to Him, on the basis of His good nature and demonstrated grace. Supplication
In Phil 4:6, we are told to "be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer (proseuchomai) and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which
surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." The Lord has promised that if we pray in a certain way (that is, with supplication and with thanksgiving), we will experience
His peace that will guard our minds and hearts. The Philippians would have a special appreciation for this Scripture because they were a Roman colony. They would understand being "guarded" in a way that we
might not. The bastion of Roman soldiers were assigned to act as a Roman presence in order to assure Roman influence, protect Roman interests, sustain Roman boundaries, and guard Roman territory that had been won and
established through the defeat of their enemies. In the same way, God's peace becomes available to garrison and sentinel our hearts and minds when we pray in the prescribed manner. Instead of becoming
overwhelmed, frustrated or angry, we can make supplication. The Greek word for supplication is deesis which is derived from the word deo, meaning "to bind, to tie" (compare Matt 16:19). While
we are invited by the Lord to enter the arena of the heavenlies through prayer in order to affect things that are beyond our own strength or wisdom, we do not merely "bind" and "loose" on the basis
of our own whim, desire, comfort, ease or understanding. God is not obligated to answer just any kind of prayer we can think or say (compare Lu 9:54). We need to consider the following:
- Allowing the Lord to teach and direct us in our praying.
- Asking Him how to pray about a situation or person.
- Inquiring about His will.
- "Shotgun" praying vs. "Rifle" praying.
- Believing His purposes and His will await release through our supplication.
In Acts 4:31, the early believers quoted Scripture, knew God's direction and will, and prayed (literally, supplication) accordingly. The place was shaken and they were "refilled" with the Holy Spirit.
Intercession In the New Testament, the Greek words for intercession involve two main meanings:
- To light upon a person or thing; to fall in with; to chance upon something; to encounter unexpectedly.
- To go to or meet a person especially for conversation or consultation.
In the Old Testament, the word intercession is used approximately a dozen times, although the verb is used 50 times in the Hebrew language. The three main meaning involve:
- The "reaching" of boundaries: in the book of Numbers, the word is used to describe the apportionment of the land to the different tribes of Israel.
- The "falling upon" of an enemy at the command of the king: when Doeg the Edomite is commanded by Saul to kill the priests.
- A "chanced upon" place of revelation: when Jacob is fleeing Esau, he "comes upon" a certain place that he subsequently names Bethel (House of God).
An intercessor is:
- An establisher and extender of boundaries.
- To release people to the widest place of inheritance God has ordained.
- Us in Him (Eph 1:11).
- Him in us (Eph 1:18).
- On the basis of what Christ has accomplished.
- Our iniquity being "laid on" (lit: "interceded") on Him (Is 53:6).
- Our full entering into the ministry of reconciliation He has given to us (2 Cor 5:18; Col. 1:24).
- An executer of the wishes, desires and commands of King Jesus.
- In an attitude of "violent" warfare (Matt 11:12).
- With the weapons of the Spirit (Eph 6:10-20; Psalm 149).
- An "accidental," "chanced upon" prayer.
- With openness to learn to pray with understanding and revelation from the Holy Spirit.
- With sensitivity to daily leadings.
- With spiritual language.
- With "riflelike" accuracy (Job 36:32).
(Reprinted with permission.) |
