The Glory of Intercession

       If prayer can be generally defined as “talking to God,” then intercession is “talking to God about others.” Intercession is awesome in many ways, but one of the biggest reasons why it is so critical to the kingdom of God is because God is glorified when we intercede for others.

       We know that it is God’s desire that all should come to salvation, and He has commanded us to go and make disciples everywhere. He asked us to pray for more laborers in the harvest. This is intercession.

       Since Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him,” then we should also pray that He would draw the lost to Himself. That is also a form of intercession. Of course, we also pray for people to be healed, for their financial breakthrough, or for deliverance from an addiction.

       So, how does all this glorify God? Because we praise Him best when we see His work up close. There is a special type of praise and gratitude we can give God only after we see Him answer prayer.

       Sure, God could do everything by Himself, but many times He wants us to be involved in the process. For example, when we play a part in bringing someone to faith in Jesus, God is praised by us AND them! The more we grow His kingdom, the more glory He gets.

       There are also aspects of God character that we can only grow our appreciation for as we participate in what He is doing. Forgiveness and compassion take on a whole new dimension when they go from being a theological doctrine to a personal experience through prayer.

       God answers prayer. And He gets glory and honor when we obey. When we intercede, we are loving others. When we are loving others, we are reflecting God’s image. When we are reflecting God’s image, we glorify His great name!