My Intercessor

My brother is so special to me. Growing up as kids, he wanted to follow me everywhere I went and as I got older, that became an issue. (You older siblings know what I mean.) But let someone bother him, and I’d jump in the middle, ready to  intercede, whether it was with our parents or others.

Maybe you’ve interceded for someone in a mediation case or in a court of law. You played the role of someone who pleaded the case and defended someone who either couldn’t resolve the issue on their own or who needed legal help beyond their abilities. These are earthly interventions dealing with earthly situations.

Where do you turn for heavenly intervention? Who do you look to for spiritual intercession when you need help? There is only One person who can intercede with the Father for you and that is Jesus. In fact, that’s one of the benefits we gained when He died on the cross and rose again. He not only died for our sins, but He died to be our Intercessor, our Advocate with the Lord.

After Jesus rose again, He didn’t just go to heaven to finally get a break from His earthly mission. He is our Eternal Shepherd, yesterday, today and forever. He didn’t stop doing the Father’s work. He returned to the right hand of the Father where He was before and He continues to be our King of kings. He sits in heaven as our Great Defender, pleading with the Father just as a defense lawyer does here in our courts.

Jesus knows Satan and his schemes to constantly torment mankind and wreak havoc on earth until his time is up. He knows that Satan was and is the constant Accuser, pointing out our faults and our sins before God, wanting nothing good for the children of God. He did this to Job, even sending his wife and friends to try and pull Job away from God.

Friends, in those moments when you feel accused, lost, uncertain, dejected and you wonder if God is even listening to your prayers, rest assured that Jesus is sitting right beside Your Father rebuking the enemy, defending you. When the enemy says to God, “Remember when, see that, look at that fault,” Jesus is saying, “Remember, this is Your child, I died on the cross to impute My righteousness to them.” That means His righteousness is treated as if it is ours through faith.

We have a gracious and kind Great Defender advocating for us; a heavenly Intercessor who works twenty-four hours a day mediating for us with the Father. What an amazing act of love! Praise Jesus, we have such hope. That’s why we pray, “In the name of Jesus!”

Listen to what the Lord said about Him: “Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for transgressors.” Isaiah 53:12

“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with  the Father--Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:1-2

“But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them.” Hebrews 7:24-25

Prayer

Lord,

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from You, the Maker of heaven and earth. You will not let my foot slip—You who watches over me will not slumber; indeed, You who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. You watch over me—You are my shade at my right hand; the sun will not harm me by day, nor the moon by night. You will keep me from all harm—You will watch over my life; You will watch over my coming and going both now and forevermore. Amen!


Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

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