Becoming Like Jesus: PrayerSample

It Is Finished

At its core, the invitation to intercession is another invitation to become like Jesus for the sake of others.

Why?

Because Jesus intercedes for us.

Let’s dive in.

Pray…

Heavenly Father, thank you for who you are and what you have done and are doing through Jesus. Jesus, thank you for loving me and speaking up for me. I’m blown away by your grace and love. Holy Spirit, continue to make me more like Jesus so I can love like Jesus. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Read…

Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Romans 8:34-35 NIV

Consider…

Jesus, the risen Son of God, prays for you. Have you ever thought about that before? That’s crazy! Jesus isn’t in heaven just chilling at the right hand of the Father; He’s there interceding to the Father on your behalf. He’s standing in the gap for you. When you mess up, Jesus speaks up and says, “My grace covers that.” That’s how much He loves you.

When Jesus died on the cross, He uttered the words, “It is finished.” The price for our sins was paid in full. There is no outstanding balance owed. And to get nerdy for a second, what is so powerful about what Jesus said, is the way He chose to say it. He used the present continuing verb tense. Meaning, that what Jesus was saying is, “It is finished and it will continue to be finished.” And that’s really good news for us. What God accomplished through Jesus cannot be undone by any human or amount of injustice in the world.

But part of that “will continue to be finished” is intercession. Jesus is presently interceding for us, He is treating us in accordance with the justice and righteousness of God, as displayed through His own death on the cross.

When we pray this way, we are actively joining in what Jesus is already doing. We are agreeing with Him that His sacrifice was sufficient and the cross was the ultimate catalyst for God’s Kingdom to come crashing in.

Practice…

Who is God putting on your heart today? Is there someone specific you can speak up for?

Pray and ask God to demonstrate His grace and love in their lives. Then, ask how God might want to use you to be a tangible reminder of His grace today.

Listen…

As you finish praying today, create space for God to speak to you. Set your timer for five minutes and just be still and quiet, humbling yourself before your good King.

Ask Him to speak to you.

When you get distracted, come back to Jesus by praying the Lord’s Prayer, slowly, line-by-line, listening for the Holy Spirit to comfort and challenge you to take a step of obedience today.