The Promise of Prayer (6)

But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7.24, 25

What in heaven is Jesus doing on earth?
It’s easy to overlook the importance of the work Jesus is presently doing at the right hand of the Father on high. We delight to recall our Lord’s ministry during His incarnation. We humble ourselves in sorrow and rejoicing over His crucifixion and resurrection. And we eagerly look forward to His return in glory, to take us home to be with Him forever.

But what about now? What in heaven is Jesus doing on earth? And what, if anything, might that have to do with our prayers?

Jesus is very busy at the right hand of God. He upholds the universe and everything in it by His constant, unfailing power (Heb. 1.3). He rides forth by His Spirit, in His Church, to seek and to save the lost every day (Ps. 45.3-5; Rev. 6.1, 2; Lk. 19.10). He works by His Spirit and truth to sanctify believers and build His Church (Jn. 17.17; Eph. 2.19-22; Matt. 16.18).

And, even with all this to do, He continually intercedes for us, advocating with the Father on our behalf for mercy and grace to help us in our times of need.

The advocacy of Christ
I think it’s easiest to understand the intercessory work of Christ when we remember that, in the Godhead, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit maintain a continuous trialog, an ongoing, uninterrupted and unutterable conversation, replete with holiness, beauty, goodness, truth, and mutual love. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit rejoice in each other’s company and communion, so much so, that they need nothing outside themselves to supplement, satisfy, support, or delight them.

We get glimpses of this mystery from time to time in the Scriptures, as when we hear the members of the Trinity communing together in making human beings (Gen. 1.26), or when the Father speaks to the Son, appointing Him King over His domain (Ps. 2.7-9; Ps. 110.1, 4), or when the Son presents the children the Father has given Him (Heb. 2.11-13).

We who believe have been known to God from all eternity past (Eph. 1.4). Our names were written in the Lamb’s book of life and have been part of that divine conversation long before the first words of creation were ever spoken (Rev. 3.5; 13.8; 17.8; 20.12; 20.15). We who believe have been part of that trialog in the unseen glory of God from forever past. Our names have been lovingly spoken and our lives carefully prepared and reviewed in an eternal conversation between the members of the Triune God.

So it marks no change in the content of that divine conversation that now our Lord Jesus is continuously making mention of us and interceding for us before the Father in prayer. We have been on His heart from forever. Now the content of His intercession for us comes through the merit of His suffering, the victory of His resurrection, the power of His grace, and the efficiency of Spirit-wrought faith to bring our needs before the Father.

Whereas the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered as we seek the Lord in prayer, Jesus always lives to make intercession for us. He maintains a constant communication with God on our behalf. He can call down angels to help us in a wide variety of ways. He continually requests the Father to keep us and sanctify us, to empower us as His witnesses, and equip us as members for the building-up of His Body. He is a constant reminder to the Father that, while neither we nor our prayers are of any significance in and of themselves, in Jesus’ Name, and through His blood and righteousness, our prayers matter and can contribute to the unfolding Kingdom economy of the Lord.

A High Priest forever
Jesus is not like the Hebrew high priests, who went into the presence of God once a year, there symbolically to represent the people of Israel. Jesus is always in God’s presence, the King of Righteousness and King of Peace, and He represents us not symbolically but really and personally, seeking mercy and grace to help us in our times of need.

The fact that Jesus always lives to talk with the Father about us should encourage us, as often as we can, to join that conversation, if only to listen in silence as the Spirit discovers our needs, groans them to Jesus and the Father, and Jesus seconds His groanings with His own continuous intercession on our behalf.

God has given us three great helps to assist us in our prayers. His Spirit groans for us; His Word guides us; and His Son governs and intercedes for us. The fact of such assistance in prayer should greatly encourage us to master the challenge of praying without ceasing, that we may know the power and joy of prayer for making all things new in our lives.

For reflection
1.  How do you envision the Lord Jesus as He intercedes for you with the Father? Where is He? What does He say?

2.  What does it mean to pray without ceasing? Do we always have to be talking in order to do this? Explain.

3.  Does the fact of these three helps make you want to pray more? Explain.

Next steps – Conversation: Talk with a Christian about the three helps God has given us for prayer. How does your friend make use of these? How can you encourage one another to do so?

T. M. Moore

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.