Healing Our City & Nation: History is Paved by Intercessors
One of my friends, my little bro, preached this message one time - “History is paved by the intercessors”. Well, my friend, what is an intercessor? If you research this word, you find the definition of intercessor is:
“A person who intervenes on behalf of another, especially by prayer.”
When we look at this more in-depth, it is when someone offers their work/effort for that of another. This is when someone shows grace and offers to lighten the burden of another. An intercessor is someone who uses the power of prayer to move Heaven and earth. It is the most powerful action on earth. Prayer on behalf of a person, place, nation, or world can shake things up. When we look in the Bible, we continually see how intercession changed history.
One of the greatest stories of intercession in the Bible is Esther. When asked to marry a man who was not listening to God’s wisdom, she took action through prayer. In the book of Esther, you find there are very few actions outside of prayer that Esther takes. Her prayers changed a NATION and saved a human race. When she was told of a plot to destroy her people, she prayed about what action to take since she was married to the King. God told her to go before the King and have dinner with him.
Before Esther went to that dinner, she asked Mordecai to get the Jews (her people) to pray for her. As Esther ate dinner with the King, God told her to invite him to a second dinner. She went for a second dinner where she exposed the truth of the evil plot to destroy her nation, as her people were still praying on her behalf. Their prayers were heard and together Esther and her husband were able to change a nation. To understand this more, read the book of Esther.
I want you to understand that history was paved by the intercessors in the book of Esther. The person you remember most in this story is Esther. What people miss is the family behind the scenes. An entire nation was praying that their voices would be heard through her. That prayer impacted lives for generations. Today we are in the midst of a spiritual battle. We are in a country that is divided. We are fighting over the color of people’s skin. Fighting hatred. Our voices are growing louder and louder with no actual actions or solutions coming in to play.
Let’s try something different for racial reconciliation - a different way of healing the tension in the church and the nation. Join my friends and I as we pray over the nation. Let’s change it with prayer and act in the ways God calls you to act.
One of my best friends organized a prayer walk nightly at 7:00 p.m. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from July 20th through July 25th. We’ll be praying over our city and the change that will happen. Another best friend of mine and I are holding a music festival on July 25th to gather people together to help build a home for teenage mothers and bridge a divide across races/culture/faith. We are praying from now until the event with a group of people for five minutes between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. every day.
History is paved by the intercessors. This group of women is large around Southeastern Wisconsin and we’ve been making a difference on our knees and with action in the community. Will you join us from now through July 25th to pray for our city here in Milwaukee, your city, and the United States?
Let the world see what a group of women on their knees can do for the Kingdom.
“I want everyone everywhere to lift innocent hands toward heaven and pray, without being angry or arguing with each other.” - 1 Timothy 2:8 CEV
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alycia Marie is a free-spirited wanderer and follower of Christ. She spends her days exploring around the city with the unique family that God has given her. At this time, she is currently working with non-profits and churches to tackle rebuilding families in the city of Milwaukee. In her free time, she plays with preschoolers, writes in coffee shops, and travels the world.