Vicarious Intercession: Unfailing Prayer!
Why does revival tarry and why does our nation continue to descend toward chaos? Millions are praying but something is missing. The church world has resorted to almost any gimmick necessary in order to fill the House of God. “The Flock That Rocks” is the theme of one mega-church that is bringing in the thousands. Do we have the right to argue when our prayer efforts are doing little to change our own Biblically-sound congregations? The sounds of fulfilled prophecy fill the news, the Rapture is eminent, and God’s Saints are duty bound to find the answers to revival.
God’s answer has always been effectual and fervent prayer. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16b). When the Saints of God begin to pray as we are trained to do in the Scripture, it is impossible to fail. Every Salty Saint has got to believe that proper praying is invincible. God would be proven a liar if Biblical praying did not produce results every time. I’m determined to learn the secrets of praying until Hell trembles and Heaven lends its ear. Jesus said, “I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19a). Let’s join together until Heaven is unlocked.
The Bible is a book of “answered prayers.” The Holy Spirit spoke to Israel when they were experiencing a time just like our present time. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place” (II Chronicles 7:14-15). These were God’s people, but they were religious instead of spiritual. Sin had invaded their ranks and confession of their sin was overdue. Wickedness had defiled the land and the righteous had to lead the way in turning back to God.
God’s prophet Ezekiel heard the voice of God warning him of judgment unless His saints were willing to bear the shame of abominations in the House of God. First, the voice of Lord said, “Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them” (Ezekiel 8:18). Then the Lord spoke about “vicarious intercession” on the part of the righteous. “And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof” (Ezekiel 9:4).
This prophet was told to begin at His sanctuary and to start with the ancient men who were before the house. The picture could not be clearer. The Saints of God had to be willing to treat the sins in His house as though they were their own sins. To see God’s house filled with compromise and departure from the truth must bring us to weeping and travailing. The church world has offended God and false religions have released unclean spirits all over the land.
Daniel knew that the time had come for the Jews to be released from Babylonian captivity. He set himself to praying, “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee” (Daniel 9:5,8). This is clearly a man of God praying by “vicarious intercession.” There is not one time in Scripture that speaks of Daniel being a careless prophet before his God; yet, his love for his people made him one with their guilt.
The New Testament apostle to the Gentiles never lost his burden for the Jews. The most profound picture of identifying himself with his own kin is seen in his letter to the Romans. He said, “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh” (Romans 9:3). The epistles by the Holy Spirit from this man’s pen has brought millions to Jesus Christ, both Jews and Gentiles.
This burden of “vicarious intercession” never faded from Apostle Paul’s life. As the end appeared to be near, he wrote the Philippians of his desire to know the same passions as the Savior’s death. The word “vicarious” means to suffer in the place of or in lieu of another, to take their place. Paul declared, “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:10).
Our nation is reeling with the weight of abominations, blasphemies, and filth. I often hear Christians as they speak of our national sins and their desire to be raptured, but there is no revival in that attitude. Yes, we are looking for the Rapture but godly saints want to win the lost while we look. The church world is full of false preachers and prophets prophesying lies in the name of the Lord. While we must defend truth and expose error, God is bidding us to “cry and sigh” for these abominations until God speaks out of His Heavenly place and comes down.
If the saints will surrender to “vicarious intercession,” the Spirit will break our hearts with the sins of our land and of His house. Then, our God will act. He has promised, and His promises are set in stone. We were chosen to be “labourers together with God” (I Corinthians 2:19a). When you say, “I’m not guilty of all the sins in our churches and nation,” you must remember that He was not guilty either. We are only asked “to feel the guilt.” He was made to be the “guilty one.” Were it not for the grace of God, all of us would be in the same condition as our unclean world.
As I have sought after Him and “vicariously interceded,” He by His Spirit has shown me where I almost followed strange doctrines or fell into sin, but He rescued me. I have been led to remember the dark sins of my unconverted state and how He convicted me and washed me and even forgave me when I fell. It did not take long for me to be willing to accept the feelings of guilt that I would have known and to identify with the broken church and the unclean world. When a godly saint can weep while they bare the burdens of offended holiness right into the presence of God, revival is not far away. “Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!” (Jeremiah 9:1).