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A "NORTHERN
LIGHTS" MAGAZINE ARTICLE
(from Issue #498)
United
Intercession: God's Power Released
by Paul Maxwell
A few years ago a Christian
businessman confided in me that his business was in trouble. I said,
"Why don't we pray together about it?" So each weekday, when
his workday was complete, we prayed together by phone. This went on for
some time before we saw the Lord turn his business around.
The Word makes it clear that
united prayer is important. Let's look at three scenes from the
Scriptures, and then what Jesus taught on the subject.
The first scene is in Exodus
17. Joshua and his army fought the Amalekites in the valley. Moses' hands
were extended heavenward on the hilltop. It soon became clear that the
victory in the valley was directly dependent on the invisible battle on
the hilltop.
Intercession is warfare. Moses
became weary, so Aaron and Hur joined him by holding up his
"intercessory" hands.
Paul tells us in Ephesians 6
that we are engaged in spiritual warfare. Victory is assured because
Christ crushed Satan through His death and resurrection. However we're
still in a spiritual battle and one of the prime weapons in winning is not
"fighting" the Enemy, but "praying."
Prayer is key to claiming
Christ's provided victory. Missionaries, in particular, don't need to be
reminded that God's people are in a spiritual battle. For the average
Christian, though, there is the danger that we're either asleep to this
fact, or we focus too much on the Enemy.
The second scene, in Romans 8,
takes us into the heavenly realm. We catch a glimpse of the throne of
grace. First, in verses 26 & 27, we see God the Father on the throne,
and the Holy Spirit making intercession for us with "groanings that
cannot be uttered." The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses.
Why do we need His help?
Because we don't know what to pray for! We're not sure of God's will, nor
what will glorify Him the most. I remember my niece with cancer saying,
"I don't know how to pray. I don't know if healing will glorify God
more, or Him taking me Home."
And how does God's sovereignty
relate to human choices? How good to know that the Spirit intercedes by
bridging between our felt needs and God's will for us. He identifies and
groans with us in our weaknesses, interpreting and intensifying our
prayers.
I recall my father (Prairie
Bible Institute founder, L.E. Maxwell) praying early in the morning. He
would be wrapped up in a blanket on cold mornings, and I would hear him
groaning, "Oh, God!" I now realize it was the Spirit of God
praying through the spirit of my father. This left an indelible impression
on me as a child.
Then in verse 32 we see Christ
at "the right hand of the Father" making intercession for us. He
"ever lives to make intercession for us." What a blessing that
in heaven the Holy Spirit and Christ are engaged in ceaseless intercession
for us! This also encourages me if I am alone, with no physical prayer
partner. By faith I join my two heavenly intercessors, and we call down
the blessing of God!
The third scene is an example
of failure. But it provides us with an illustration of our weakness in
prayer, and thereby emphasizes the value and importance of united prayer.
Jesus in the garden asked Peter, James and John to stay alert with Him in
prayer, but they fell asleep (Matt. 26; Mark 14; Luke 22). He reminds them
(and us) that "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."
I don't know about you, but
when I pray on my own -- if I don't have prayer cards or some other
reminder -- my mind so easily wanders. The flesh is weak. Praying with
others is a definite help.
Finally, in Matthew 18:19
& 20, Jesus teaches concerning united prayer. "Again I say to you
that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it
will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are
gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them" (NKJV).
The context deals with the
sinning brother, but I believe the application is broader. Jesus teaches
the value of two or more believers meeting together in His name and doing
so in complete agreement. The word in the original language for
"agreement" is "symphoneo," from which we get our
English word "symphony," meaning to "sound together."
When we pray unitedly it's
music in God's ears! The key to answered prayer is to be so in harmony
with heaven that the Spirit impresses our hearts what's in keeping with
the character and purposes of our loving heavenly Father. Such harmony
glorifies Christ, pleases the Father, and gives us the assurance of His
answer.
We've all heard about the
powerful prayer life of George Mueller, a man of real faith. His
biographer states, "During all these years, George's faithful wife,
Mary, stood side by side with him in the trials and triumphs of
faith." They prayed together side by side.
May I encourage you to get a
prayer partner, if you don't already have one. Watch God work. The New
Testament is replete with illustrations of the power of united
intercession. God is really saying, I'll answer your prayers as you
symphoneously pray together.
Remember, united intercession
is going on in heaven, so let's join the heavenly intercessors and watch
God step out of silence as He responds to united intercession!
What is the one great impossibility in my
life? Our God is the God of the impossible. My impossibilities are God's
opportunities. United prayer is key to seeing God's power released.
 This
article was adapted from a message Paul Maxwell gave to NCEM Western &
Central-Field missionaries at our staff conference in August 2006 at Lac
La Biche, Alberta.
Paul & Barbara Maxwell
were missionaries in Colombia, South America in the 1960s. In 1970 Paul
began teaching at Prairie Bible Institute and in 1978 became its
president. From1989 to 2003 Paul served as president of International
Student Ministries Canada.
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