The Bible teaches that our prayers are vastly powerful. That’s why, in the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus doesn’t just instruct us to pray personally for daily bread, but also for the coming of God’s kingdom on earth.
Elsewhere, the Apostle Paul urges us to intercede "for kings and all those in authority".
And in the Old Testament, God makes an astounding promise regarding the importance of prayer at times of national disaster: “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
The forgiveness of sins and the healing of the land are entirely contingent upon the intercession of God’s people. What task could possibly be more important, more urgent for our world today?
To intercede is to "intervene or mediate between two parties as the equal friend of both".
At the time of Ezekiel, God searched, in vain, for someone to "stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so that I would not have to destroy it". Intercessors are those who "stand before God in the gap on behalf of the land". They mediate between heaven and earth as equal friends of both, pleading with God on behalf of people, and with people on behalf of God.
Let’s take a moment to think of someone we know, a political situation, global crisis or world leader that needs prayer right now. Spend some time bringing this person or situation before God and asking for his divine intervention.
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