The verse says that
Jesus always lives to make intercession for us. Once, I used to think that this
meant that Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand today, praying all the
time for us, waiting and hoping that the Father will do something for us.
But that is not true.
Look at what Jesus prayed when He stood before Lazarus’ tomb. He declared,
“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me” (John 11:41). He prayed these
words even before Lazarus came forth from his tomb alive. Jesus knew that what
He said would come to pass because the Father always hears Him (see John
11:42).
So what does “Jesus
always lives to make intercession for us” mean?
Because Jesus is our
High Priest (see Hebrews 4:14), we get a picture of what happens when we pray
when we understand what the high priest in the Old Testament did with the burnt
offering of a bird (see Leviticus 1:14–17).
The birds brought to
the high priest are a picture of our prayers “flying” to the Lord Jesus because
we pray to the Father in Jesus’ name. Now, just as the high priest removes the
bird’s feathers after killing it, Jesus removes all that is superfluous and
unclean from our prayers, such as unbelief and self-centeredness.
Then, just as the high
priest offers the bird as a burnt sacrifice, a sweet aroma to the Lord, Jesus
our High Priest adds His perfection, beauty, excellence and fragrance, which
the Father so delights in, to our prayers. That is how He presents our prayers
to the Father. That is how He lives to make intercession for you.
My friend, you don’t have to run to a church leader to get him to pray “more powerfully” for you. You can pray yourself. Then, take advantage of Jesus’ intercession for you and say, “Lord Jesus, I don’t know what else to say…please intercede for me.” And when Jesus gives His personal touch to your prayer, you can be sure that it will be answered! (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission).
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