Standing in the Gap!

December 27, 2012 by Tecla Sanders

I remember as a young women in my early 20's, joining the ministry full-time in Richmond, VA, and being excited for the opportunity to wake up in the cold of a dark morning to get dressed and drive approximately 40 minutes to an old church off of Laburnum Avenue where myself along with 10 or so other individuals would clamor together in a small prayer room to lift up the needs of others.  As we would begin in spontaneous song, and then proceed to individually thanking God for what he was doing eventually following the Lord's lead in what to lift up- individually for our lives, or the lives of others and in the church. I can't help to think of how many lives were touched unbeknownst by us 'standing in the gap' for them.

Sure the bed was a comfortable place of rest at 4:00 AM in the morning when the alarm went off, however the reward or satisfying feeling of having come together in prayer with other believing saints for the lost and even those 'lost' within the four walls of the church caused that feeling of comfort to pale in comparison to the spiritual ground gained as we all prayed and poured our hearts over the prayer needs of others!

As I often reflect on the goodness of God and how interecession has gotten me to where I am today: the prayers that helped me discover the Call of God over my life, the prayers that helped me discern His direction to join a campus ministry full-time and raise my own salary over pursuing a career with a comfortable guaranteed salary in my major I achieved as a full honors scholar in- Electrical Engineering; the prayers that steered me clear of almost being engaged and married to the wrong person to restoring a friendship and then courtship to my husband of 17 years; the prayers that helped me overcome the tremendous grief that comes with the loss of a child; the prayers that healed me of cancer in my body; and finally the prayers that later led my husband and I to plant a church years after he and I faithfully served as armorbearors to other pastors' church plants in various cities.

It one day it hit me... Jesus is doing the same for me! He is mercifully covering me with intercessory prayers!  The scripture passage tells us, Jesus understands and "intercedes for us." ( found in Hebrews 4:34) One of my favorite definitions for intercession is "to pray the prayer that another is yet unable to pray for themselves."

When I think that Jesus is praying the perfect prayer for me, even if I am yet unaware or unable to pray it for myself it powerfully inspires me. He's not ever living to be a judge over me.  He is praying earnestly for me even laboring over me the Father's perfect will intended over my life! What a blessing! When it comes to understanding intercession! I choose to agree with the prayer Jesus is praying for me, today!

Think about it. The effects of prayer often is a changed heart, a changed life, or even a changed circumstance that leads people to love Jesus and have spiritually tender, loving hearts. These same people will stand, with Jesus, the great Intercessor, and then themselves intercede for others!

Hebrews 7:24-25 states, "but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them."
Let us never take for granted the power of intercession in our own lives and in the lives of others! You never know whose life is literally hanging in the balance!  It also could be your very own! Grateful for the privilege to be an intercessor submitted to an Interceding Savior!