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Jesus and I are prayer partners. He intercedes for me. When the "accuser of the brethren" stands before the Father to accuse me, (and by the way, Satan can make an air-tight case against me without even exaggerating), Jesus steps to my defense and says, "My blood, Father, my blood. Those sins have already been forgiven. Look; They're no longer on the book!" The universe looks on in bewildered astonishment.
I'm not sure I understand all that "intercede" means, but one meaning for intercessor is a person who stands between two who are estranged and brings them together. That's my goal, and that's Jesus' goal for me. So we have a common prayer project - me. Jesus and I are prayer partners.
But intercessor is bigger even than that. The Bible says that Jesus is interceding for me. I want to talk to Him about that. I want to ask Him to reveal what He is saying to the Father about me. I am not afraid about what He might say because He is on my side. Maybe He is strategizing bringing resources to my aid when I am tempted. Maybe He is rejoicing that a decision I made brought Him glory. I only know He has my back.
The Holy Spirit is part of the process, too. Have you winced on occasion when reading Paul's statement in Romans 8 about our flawed praying, something about "groanings that cannot be uttered?" I've often stumbled over that passage. Until I found Dr. Jack Blanco's sterling paraphrase in the Clear Word. Listen: "We don't even know how we should pray or what we really need, and when we think we do, we don't know how to say it right. The Holy Spirit takes our deepest emotions and longings and puts them into the beautiful language of heaven, pleading with God for us as if we were right there." Wow.
My takeaway in all this is that all of heaven is involved in my redemption. And then He deputizes me as His instrument on behalf of others. He invites me to become part of the army "standing between" heaven's invitation and the deceptions of the destroyer. It is a solemn and joyous assignment. It is part of what the Sabbath morning prayer time must include. This is not a make-believe war. The outcome is eternal. The enemy is a predator and we are no match. But as the song says, "Reinforcements now appearing ..." Jesus intercedes for every neighbor of ours; every teen tempted with porn, every business tycoon enticed by greed, every druggy, every harried single mom, every time our kids make a bad choice, every broken heart. Jesus intercedes - and you and I are invited to join Him. Prayer partners. Amazing.
-By Don Jacobsen
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