Life as Intercession

From T. A. Hegre's book The Cross and Sanctification:

"There is a difference between a prayer warrior and an intercessor. A prayer warrior has a burden; an intercessor has a purpose. A prayer warrior prays for things; an intercessor offers himself to God for the fulfillment of His purposes. Prayer warriors expect to get their prayers answered; intercessors must get theirs answered. They let nothing stop them from seeing God's wonderful purposes realized. Christ is their example. He is not only Saviour, but Intercessor. He interceded at Gethsemane; He interceded all His life. As a result, the Church was born and is living to this day. Even now, Christ is interceding and looking for other intercessors.

"Consider Moses and Paul, two of the great intercessors in Scripture. Moses knew both the privilege and blessing of intercession. In his time alone with Him on the mountain top, he learned much from God. After Israel's great sin, he climbed the mount to meet God again and to pray that He would forgive His people. He knew that the people deserved nothing but judgment. Yet to the people he said, 'Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto Jehovah; peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin.' His intention, the secret locked in his heart, was to offer himself as an atonement; so he prayed to God, confessing Israel's sin: 'Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written' (Ex. 32:31, 32). In this prayer is an unfinished sentence. Perhaps the reason was that Moses broke out in a great sob and was weeping for his people. This is intercession. This is prayer. God, of course, could not accept Moses' offer to die for his people, for only Christ could do that. But on the basis of the coming sacrifice of Calvary, God did forgive Israel in answer to Moses' prayer (Deut. 9:19; 10:10).

"The Apostle Paul also knew how to intercede. He prayed much like Moses when he said, 'I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience bearing witness with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were anathema from Christ for my brethren's sake, my kinsmen according to the flesh' (Rom. 9:1-3). Paul, fifteen hundred years after Moses, had the spirit of Calvary. He knew how to pray. He too entered into the very spirit of Calvary. As a result Israel will be restored and saved as a nation. (This seems to be taking place in our day, for though Jews are returning to their land in unbelief, the day is coming when as a result of Paul's intercession a whole generation of Israel will again turn back to God.)

"If the Church would only awaken to her responsibility of intercession, we could well evangelize the world in a short time. It is not God's plan that the world be merely evangelized ultimately. It should be evangelized in every generation. There should be a constant gospel witness in every corner of the world so that no sinner need close his eyes in death without hearing the gospel--the good news of salvation through Christ."