How blessed is the man...in whose heart are the highways to Zion!

Psalm 84:5

When my mother passed away, I felt an acute loss because I knew she prayed for me. As a mother myself, I know how frequently and fervently I pray for my children. I know that I pray for things for them that they would never imagine, and I assume that my mother did likewise for me. Within a few months after Mom's death, I ran into a church friend whose mother was visiting her. I had met her mother long ago and made it a point to greet her whenever she visited. On this day, after our initial hello and hug, she told me that she prayed for me every day. What a comfort to know that there was still someone with a mother's heart, who was praying for me!

Hebrews 7:25 tells us that Jesus always lives to make intercession for us. Because He rose from the dead, He will never die again (Rom 6:9). He is in God's very presence, seated at His right hand in heaven (Eph. 1:20). And at least part of what He does, along with holding all things together and directing the affairs of the universe, is to pray for us.

He is our Advocate (1 John 2:1-2). He speaks up on our behalf, especially when we sin. Because He lived a perfectly righteous life and then died to pay the penalty for our sin, He reminds the Father that our punishment has been taken away and His righteousness has been given to us (not that God would ever forget).

He is the Mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5-6). Because He lived as a man, Jesus can explain to God how it feels to be human, how temptation entices us, and how the enemy lies to us. He can remind God of how He longs for intimate communion with mankind, that was lost so long ago in Eden, and how Jesus bought us back from the control of the devil at great personal cost.

Because Jesus prays for us, no one can condemn us (Rom. 8:34). Satan is called the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10). He accused Job of only serving God because God blessed and protected him (Job 1:9-11). Though he may accuse us, he will never succeed in getting a guilty verdict from God against us because Jesus Christ died and was raised again. Death is swallowed up in victory; it has no sting any longer (1 Cor. 15:54-55). There is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ (Rom. 8:1).

The very best that I have ever prayed for my children does not hold a candle to how Jesus prays for me, and for all of us who know Him. His prayers are better than any mother's. He knows what we need even when we don't. When I don't know how to pray for my children, I can count on the Holy Spirit to pray according to God's will (Rom. 8:26-27). How much more can we count on Jesus to pray on our behalf, knowing that He will never die, but always live to make intercession for us. What comfort!

© J.H.Nichols 2009

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