The Duty of Intercession
Introduction
Luke's Gospel is a veritable handbook on prayer. Again and again the Evangelist deals with this subject as he records the teaching of the Master. It is not surprising, therefore, that we find the strongest statement on the duty of intercession in the passage that we have selected for our text. Quoting the Lord Jesus, Luke says, "Men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (18:1), and then proceeds to list five examples of prayer in this very chapter. He cites the case of a praying widow in verse 3, a praying Pharisee in verse 10, a praying publican in verse 13, a praying ruler in verse 18, and a praying beggar in verse 38. How true it is that "men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (18:1).
Three important considerations are implicit in our text:
I. The Sheer Necessity of Prayer
"Men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (18:1).
Were these the only words in the Bible concerning prayer they would satisfy any reasonable person with regard to the sheer necessity of prayer, and especially so when we remember that they were spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Moreover, an examination of the context reveals that this duty of intercession is related to the challenging discourse which our Savior had just delivered on the subject of His Second Advent.
With solemn impressiveness the Master had just described the increasing godlessness that would be evidenced in the world prior to His return. He had warned of carelessness, worldliness, and sinfulness which would climax in divine judgment. Then, without a break, Jesus said, "Men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (18:1).
It is important to observe that, in speaking of His coming, the Lord Jesus referred to two Old Testament personalities that have to do with prayer. The one was Noah and the other Lot. It was as if the Master had been saying that "in the context of an evil world there are two things that can happen to the Christian: he can either pray and triumph or he can neglect prayer and faint and fall."
With that in mind, let us observe that:
A. Prayer Prevents Fainting in our Spiritual Walk
"Men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (18:1).
This function of prayer is illustrated by the life of Noah. We read that Noah "walked with God" (Gen. 6:9). In a world of godlessness, such as had never existed on the face of the earth, God looked upon Noah as "a just man" (Gen. 6:9) and commissioned him to be "a preacher of righteousness" to his generation (2 Pet. 2:5). For one hundred twenty days he preached with the hope of bringing his contemporaries to repentance and reformation, but they laughed him to scorn. Noah remained faithful, however, and went through with God's plan in building the ark.
At this juncture we do well to pause and ask ourselves how it was that Noah ever maintained such a quality of faith; how it was that he kept sane, locked up in that ark in company with animals and a family who were not completely one with him. The answer, surely, is that he was a man of prayer who kept in touch with heaven.
Eventually the waters abated and Noah came out of the ark and built an altar and offered burnt offerings unto his God, and we read that "the Lord smelled a soothing aroma" (Gen. 8:21).
Then tragedy struck. Noah must have thought that he could relax and live on his good reputation; in a word, he must have stopped praying, for the record tells us that "Noah began to be a farmer and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk" (Gen. 9:20-21). From this point it seems that he no longer walked with his God, for although he lived for over three hundred years after the flood, we do not hear much about him. He stopped praying, and he failed in his spiritual walk.
That is the story of Noah, and it could well be the story of your life.
I wonder if Isaiah was thinking of this matter of fainting in our spiritual walk when he wrote: "[God] gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint" (Isa. 40:29, 31).
Prayer is a sheer necessity to save us from losing heart in our spiritual walk! But this is not all.
B. Prayer Prevents Failing in our Personal Witness
"Men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (18:1). Then Jesus added, "When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (18:8).
Where there is a fainting man, there will be a failing man; and Lot illustrates this failure in our personal witness. Look at the drift in his life. First of all, he pitched his tent toward Sodom (Gen. 13:12), then he dwelt in Sodom (2 Pet. 2:8), and finally he sat in the gate of Sodom (Gen. 19:1). Carelessness, worldliness, and sinfulness characterized his life, and his witness was annulled. When Abraham prayed for Sodom to be spared (Gen. 18:22-33), you will remember that there were not even ten righteous people found in that city. Although Lot was sufficiently righteous to be vexed in his spirit (2 Pet. 2:8), his witness made no impact upon his godless contemporaries; he failed in his witness. And why? The answer is that he did not pray; he drifted away from God.
I cannot imagine two more dramatic and forceful illustrations to support the sheer necessity of prayer than the lives of Noah and Lot.
But our text takes us further. The duty of intercession teaches us also:
II. The Serious Activity of Prayer
"Men always ought to pray" (18:1).
Once again, the Savior used a story to elucidate this activity of prayer. His parable had to do with the friendless widow who obtained justice from a wicked magistrate by reasons of importunity. "Though I do not fear God nor regard man," said the unjust judge, "yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me" (18:4-5). Our Lord Himself applied the application of the parable. "Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?" (18:6-7).
The lesson is obvious. If importunity obtains so much from a wicked man, how much more will it obtain for the children of God from the Righteous Judge, even their Father who is in heaven? The Lord Jesus was teaching here that the activity of prayer demands:
A. Constancy in Coming to God
"Men always ought to pray" (18:1). "By her continual coming she wearies me," said the unjust judge (18:5).
Are we characterized by constancy in our prayer life? It is a sad commentary on life that the average Christian spends no more than seven minutes in prayer each day. Is it any wonder that the church of Jesus Christ is losing heart and failing?
It is true, of course, that prayer is more than an activity limited to public or private worship; it is an attitude of life. When Jesus said, "Men always ought to pray" (18:1). He was undoubtedly implying the prayerful frame of mind which should characterize all God's children. And it is a wonderful experience to be in the company of a person who lives in the attitude of prayer. When the moment comes to lead in intercession, there is nothing forced or unnatural about such praying. One is conscious that the words are just a vocal expression of a life already in touch with God. But this attitude of prayer must never replace the activity of prayer. There is something necessary and disciplinary in coming to God in prayer. God is never wearied by our constant coming. He waits for us with a longing heart. Indeed, as Jesus said to the woman of Samaria, "The Father is seeking such to worship Him" (John 4:23).
History records that Sir Walter Raleigh was forever asking favors of Queen Elizabeth. One day, the Queen said to him, "Raleigh, when will you leave off begging?" to which the loyal subject replied, "When your Majesty leaves off giving." "Men always ought to pray" (18:1).
B. Urgency in Crying to God
"Men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (18:1). Then Jesus added, "Shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him?" (18:7).
There is never a moment in your life and mine when we are not in urgent danger. The devil is ever ready to attack when we stop praying. Without prayer, we are utterly defenseless. You will remember that when Christian of Pilgrim's Progress arrived at the House Beautiful, he was shown around the armory where various weapons were exhibited. Christian was told that together with the Word of God the most important offensive weapon was "all prayer." Without doubt, Bunyan had in mind Paul's words in Ephesians 6 where, having disclosed to us the reality and subtlety of our archenemy, the devil, he exhorts us to "put on the whole armor of God...praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints" (11, 18). Oh, that God would write on our hearts those two little words constancy and urgency in prayer!
Perhaps the most precious thought in our text on the duty of intercession is:
III. The Simple Reality of Prayer
"Men always ought to pray and not lose heart" (18:1).
Prayer opens heaven to us. Prayer brings us into the dimension of reality, as against the artificiality of the world outside. Prayer gives us a sense of "at-homeness," for, remember, we are first of all "citizens of heaven" (Phil. 3:20). Prayer revitalizes us with the atmosphere of God's presence.
The simple reality of prayer is demonstrated by the fact that:
A. Intercession Reveals God
"Shall not God avenge...?" (18:7).
In using this parable, some people have compared God with the unjust judge, but surely that is incongruous. This magistrate was a man with no sense of justice or fair play. He did not regard God or man; he was only concerned about himself. Literally rendered, this man said, "Because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she 'strike me under the eyes'" (18:5). In the modern idiom, he would have said, "I must answer her, for she is tiring me to death" or "worrying the life out of me."
Now such language could never be applied to God. The whole purpose of the parable is to put a sharp distinction between the unjust judge and our wonderful God. Indeed, in the place of prayer we learn of God's living interest in us. God's people are here referred to as "His own elect" (18:7), or "chosen ones." Indeed, it can be translated "precious ones." Just think of it! There is no moment in your life or mine when God is not livingly interested in us.
In the place of prayer we learn of God's loving patience with us--"though He bears long" (18:7). One of the most heart-melting experiences is to contemplate the patience of God in all His dealings with us day by day. Were we to receive the "due reward of our deeds," we would have long been consigned to an eternal hell, but He bears long with us.
Once more, in the place of prayer we learn of God's lasting goodness to us--"Shall God not avenge His own elect?" (18:7). Right down through the centuries, God has been fair with His people. He is inflexible in His righteousness and graciousness, since He is "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8).
If you and I want to know what God is like, let us spend more time in prayer. It is in prayer and in the light of His Word that God unveils Himself to those who take time to be holy.
B. Intercession Rewards Man
"I tell you that He will avenge them speedily" (18:8).
God always answers prayer. Sometimes the answer may be "No, my child"; on other occasions the answer may be "Yes, my child." Not infrequently the answer may be "Wait, my child," but whether it is "No," "Yes," or "Wait," it is an answer; there is no such thing as a denied answer.
We only have to pick up our Bibles to see this gloriously documented in both Old and New Testaments. When Abraham's servants prayed, Rebekah appeared; when Jacob wrestled in prayer, he prevailed with God and with man; when Moses prayed, Amalek was defeated; when Joshua prayed, Achan was exposed; when Hannah prayed, Samuel was born; when David prayed, Ahithophel hanged himself; when Asa prayed, the battle was won; when Jehoshaphat prayed, God overcame his foes; when Isaiah and Hezekiah prayed, 185,000 Assyrians were destroyed in twelve hours; when Daniel prayed, the lions were muzzled; when Mordecai and Esther fasted and prayed, Haman was executed on his own gallows; when Nehemiah prayed, a king's heart was softened in a minute; when Elijah prayed, a drought came upon the land, and when he prayed again the rain descended; when Elisha prayed, the child's soul came back into an otherwise dead body; when the church prayed, Peter was delivered from prison by the hand of an angel; and so we could go on.
Intercession rewards man. The Bible says, "He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" (Heb. 11:6).
There are, of course, conditions of prayer. Paul says, "Therefore I desire that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting" (1 Tim. 2:8). The threefold condition is clear and comprehensive. When we come in prayer it must be without defilement--"holy hands"; without disharmony--"no wrath"; without disbelief--"no doubting." To come in this fashion is to secure a sure and speedy answer.
So we have seen what we mean by the duty of intercession. When Jesus said, "Men always ought to pray and not lose heart," He was speaking of the sheer necessity of prayer, the serious activity of prayer, and the simple reality of prayer. There is nothing more important in all the world than to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:17).
Conclusion
"There's a call of obligation,
We must face along life's way;
It's the task of intercession,
As we come to God and pray!"
"There's a wondrous motivation,
Christ has given to His own;
It's the might of intercession,
Such as man has never known."
"There's a holy satisfaction,
For the saint who learns to pray;
It's the joy of intercession,
Which increases every day."
"There's a blessed consummation,
For the Christian heaven bound;
It's the song of intercession,
When in glory he is crowned."
(Stephen F. Olford - Founder and Senior Lecturer - The Stephen F. Olford Center for Biblical Preaching Memphis, Tennessee
www.olford.org)