“And he [Jesus] came and touched the
bier; and they that bare him stood still.
And he [Jesus] said, ‘Young man, I say unto thee Arise.”—Luke 7:14
In Luke chapter 7, we read of an account
of a young man being taken outside of the city’s gate to be buried. The widowed mother along with a great number
of other people, were in the funeral procession when Jesus, his disciples and a
crowd of people who were following Him, came upon the scene.
Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain;
and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the
city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and
she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When
the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open
coffin, and those who carried him
stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you,
arise.” So he who was dead sat up and began to
speak. And He presented him to his mother.—Luke 7:11-15
An intercessor is someone who takes the
place of another and brings upon the other person, situation, or circumstances,
what they could not bring upon themselves. God sent Jesus, His Son, to bring salvation
upon humanity (intercession). We can not
save ourselves, but it is the sacrificially blood of Jesus who saves us from
eternal separation from God when we accept by faith what He has done in our
behalf. “For
Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the
figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of
God for us” (Hebrews 7:24).
You and I now have
the privilege to intercede for
others. “Finally, all of you be
of one mind, having compassion for
one another; love as brothers, be
tenderhearted, be courteous” (1
Peter 3:8 emphasis added).
Here are some
principles that we can glean from Jesus’ action of compassion as recorded in Luke 7.
1) No
matter how grim the situation may appear an intercessor moves with compassion to bring God’s goodness into the
situation. “And when He came near the gate of the city,
behold, a dead man was being carried out,
the only son of his mother; and she was a widow.”
2) An
intercessor is not focused on the
crowd—she or he focuses on the solution to the need. Now it happened, the day after, that
He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a
large crowd… And a large crowd from the city was with her.
3) Words
of peace and calm are spoken by the intercessor. “Do not weep.”
4) Intercessors reach out with compassion into dead situations and
speak life. He came and touched the open coffin, He
said, “Young
man, I say to you, arise.”
5)
Intercessors
restore broken people so that lives can be mended. He who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his
mother.
Allow God’s compassion to rise up in your heart
today and reach out with intercession
to those who are in need.
Prayer—Father I thank You that Your
compassion, Your heart for people lives in me. With Your help, I purpose in my
heart, today, to look at the world around me and see where You want to reach out
and touch people. I thank Your that I
have courage to speak Your words of calm and peace into difficult situations
and I am not afraid to speak Your words of faith and power to restore people,
in Jesus Name. Amen.
