Day 9

How humbling, intimidating, and ultimately empowering it is to see the purpose and calling we have, to intercede on behalf of others. Look at how the Old and New Testament passages here perfectly set the context, and then the current application for this concept:
The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. But now, if You will forgive their sin…” (Ex. 32:30-32)
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us holdfast our confession… Let us then with confidence draw near the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Heb. 4:14, 16)
My Sunday School lesson this week reminded me in Matthew 8:5-13 of the centurion’s knowledge of his responsibilities, and the duties to delegate that come with authority. We saw that there is the expectation that those under his authority will comply with his word. (which we then went on to appreciate in contrast to the spoken word of Christ instantly healing the centurion’s servant) We too are in authority over a great many things but consider the advice that Moses’ father-in-law Jethro gave to Moses in Exodus 18:13-23. Both men were aware of the obligations and burdens of leadership, including the need to delegate – v 18 “You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone.” But the one duty he could not delegate, and the one mentioned first by Jethro, was that Moses would “represent the people before God” (18:19) At the top of our list of priorities for effective spiritual leadership, is our need to represent others before God. Jesus Christ fills that role for us in our personal lives (as we read above in Hebrews). Ultimately the mercy God bestows on the people we are praying for does not depend on our intercession, but on the intercession of Jesus. But God is also honored, pleased, and responsive to our tenacious intercession on behalf of others. Remember what we studied from Luke 11 in the parable of the man knocking persistently on his neighbor’s door after midnight asking for bread to give to his guests? “because of his persistence he will rise and give him whatever he needs” (Luke 11:8) Knowing that Jesus is our High Priest does not remove from us the need to pray as Moses did - remember the one duty he could not delegate, was his responsibility to “represent the people before God.” It grants us the freedom to pray with even greater confidence. God hears our prayers and acts in response to our intercessions on behalf of others!