The Lord reminded me of a battle in Exodus 17:8-16.

It tells of a battle between the Amalekites and the Israelites. Verse 8 says “The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.”

Moses instructed Joshua to choose some men to go out to fight the Amalekites. “Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands. Joshua fought the Amalekites. Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. “As long as Moses held up his hands, Joshua and the Israelites were winning, but when Moses lowered his hands the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, Aaron and Hur put a stone under him and he sat on it and Aaron and Hur held his hands up-one on one side, one on the other-so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.” Exodus 17: 8-14 (NIV, Zondervan).

I suddenly saw that what Aaron and Hur did was a form indicative of intercession.

I looked up the words Intercede and Interpose in, The New Webster’s Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language:

INTERCEDE: 1) To INTERPOSE in behalf of someone, as by pleading or petition: to intercede with the governor for a condemned man or attempt to reconcile differences between two groups: mediate.

INTERPOSE: 1)To place between; cause to intervene… 2) To put in (remark, question, etc.) in the midst of a conversation or discourse. 3) To bring (influence, action, etc.) to bear between parties or on behalf of a party. 4) To come between other things: assume an intervening position or relation. 5) To step in between parties at variance: mediate. 6) To put in or make a remark by way of interruption.

My question after reading Exodus 17:8-16 was this: Who holds up the intercessor’s hands? The Lord’s answer was, “I do.”

I have read of prominent “movers and shakers” in the Kingdom of God, past and present, who had intercessors who would go into a city or town before the person arrived, pray behind the stage while the person preached and even under the stage; continuing to pray for the person(s) afterward.

REMEMBER: There is always a back story: Behind every man, woman or ministry in the forefront, there is a person(s) or group on their knees before God, and if not, there should be.

The intercessor is often overlooked, misunderstood and/or maligned, but we have to understand how much God loves them because THEY ARE SERVANTS OF GOD, NOT SERVANTS OF A MAN, A WOMAN, OR A GROUP in the forefront. In obedience to the Lord they pray as Holy Spirit directs them and Holy Spirit will take over when their human words fail them because Holy Spirit is aligned with the will of God. Romans 8:26,27.

NOTE: Though all are not called to be intercessors, we are all called to pray, but when we pray, we should pray as Holy Spirit leads.

I received a phone call from a friend, who is an intercessor, while I was pondering these things. When I told her what the Lord had placed on my heart, she said this, “An intercessor must be willing to lay down his/her life.”

My pastor said, a while ago, concerning some popular Christian music today, that the songs are very rarely to God and even when they are, it always comes back to themselves. For intercessors, it should always be to the glory of God, no matter what they are praying about.

NOTE: Being an intercessor does not set them apart or above other Christians. They are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons or daughters, etc. It is not about being “mystical” or “mythical”. It is about being OBEDIENT to what God calls them to and they are called to intercession.

Once I saw two friends of mine who are intercessors, standing in a church parking lot, talking to each other. I started to go over to them, but Holy Spirit stopped me, saying, “You are not able to pay the price that they pay to serve me.”

I am not called to be an intercessor, but we are all called to pray. We have biblical, historical, and present accounts (that we are living in today) of the evidence of the power of prayer. James 5:13-16.

If you know of or have people in your life who are intercessors, ask the Lord how He would have you pray for them.

I leave you with the following scriptures: Hebrews 7:23-25; Romans 8:26,27; Isaiah 53; 1 Timothy2:1-6.