Why Many Believers Miss the Miracle Power of Intercessory Prayer

The Bible discusses intercession often throughout its many pages. When I pondered this with the glasses of kingly/priestly concepts, I came to a stark awareness that I feel is compelling.

Many people reading an article about kings think of the battles, the wealth and the power to influence for good and evil. But I believe there is even a greater power given to the kings of the earth that many have never accessed.

This power is the power of intercession. It is the ability to have God’s ear and heart when you pray for those in your sphere of influence. The God of heaven and earth listens to the hearts of kings and queens. There are several biblical examples where God literally harkens to the prayer of kings and in some cases even changes world events.

There are men and women like you and me who are everyday business people. Moses, who was a prince of Egypt (public servant), turned to a professional herdsman, a king chosen by God. The 12 tribes of Israel only had one tribe that was priestly; all the others were kingly tribes.

Wow! When you understand that most of the Bible was written about the kingly, it’s remarkable. We are one of the major players of God’s Spirit, callings and anointings on the earth. The common marketplace people are within God’s plan. The priestly role is available to support and encourage us.

I say all this as a preparation for intercession because the kings are everywhere in the Bible. They are the ones who God is depending on in the last days.

Let us look at some prime examples of God directly responding to various kings in the Bible who ventured to intercede for those in their sphere of influence. As kings, we have great intercessory authority. When we walk into this anointing, we can see miracles happen through us, not just the priestly.

How about Abraham, the father of our faith, a kingly man of God? Remember the story of Abraham’s intercession for Lot in Genesis 18:22-23. It took over 11 verses to record this businessman’s intercession and negotiation with the Lord not to wipe out Sodom where Lot lived. God honored Abraham by removing Lot and his wife and daughter by sending angles to get Lot out of the city. I hope you can see that when a king prays, God answers, and in this case with angels.

Moses’ prayers for his people were answered on several occasions. Remember when God told Moses that He wanted to kill all of Israel and start a new tribe with Moses? Moses interceded and asked God not to kill the people. Remember the story where Aaron and Miriam grumbled against Moses? The Lord gave leprosy to them and Moses interceded on their behalf so that they might be healed. God honored his request.

How about Joshua, who prayed to make the sun stand still in Joshua 10:12-15? Joshua, who was a military man, not a seminary student, asked God to hold the sun so he could finish conquering the enemy. God heard a request of a king and honored it.

This list goes on and on about how God answers prayers of kings. Look at the life of Jesus, a carpenter, not of the tribe of Levi but a Melchizedek kingly priest. Look at the New Testament: It’s chock-full of kings, fishermen, tax collectors and others having their prayers answered and seeing the miracles of God happening prior to Jesus’ death.

Therefore, your occupation or place in life does not define the power of your prayers. You do not need to rely on people in the formal ministry occupation to intercede for your family, friends and society. Use the power God has bestowed on you, a king or queen, and pray with power and conviction. {eoa}

Doug Weiss, Ph.D., is a nationally known author, speaker and licensed psychologist. He is the executive director of Heart to Heart Counseling Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and the author of several books, including Ministry of Kings and Queens: From Laity to Royalty. You may contact Dr. Weiss via his website, drdougweiss.com, on his Facebook, by phone at 719-278-3708 or through email at [email protected].