This article is part 2 in our newest series on intercession. To read part 2, click here.

And the LORD said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.” (Ezekiel 9:4). 

View Comments (0)

Ezekiel is a priest, living in exile, when God called him to be a prophet. In Ezekiel 3, God calls him to be a watchman for Israel. He is to warn them to turn from their wickedness and back to God. He performed many prophetic acts to get the people’s attention, such as lying on his left side, shaving off his hair and beard, and burning them, and prophesying to mountains where they worshiped pagan gods of the land, and more. They ignored every sign.

Get prayer updates from IFA.

In Ezekiel 8, the Lord takes the prophet into a vision. He transports him to Jerusalem, where He shows the prophet the abominations that polluted the temple and idolatry that provoked the Lord’s jealousy. Through a hole dug in the wall, Ezekiel sees cultic animal worship, 70 elders worshipping other gods in secret, and women weeping for Tammuz. In the inner court, they were also worshipping the sun, prostrating themselves. In a place where God was to be worshipped, people were worshiping and calling on pagan gods. The Lord did not consider their idolatry trivial; it called for judgment. 

In the next chapter, finally, the Lord tells six men to go through the city and mark the heads of men who sigh and cry over the abominations being done in the land. The mark was a sign of God’s mercy amid great wickedness. Just as the blood on the doorposts in Egypt was a sign of mercy when death passed over the land, they would be spared.

Similarly, as the judgment is being carried out, Ezekiel intercedes, falling face down, and tells the Lord, “Ah, Lord God! Will You destroy all the remnant of Israel in pouring out Your fury on Jerusalem?” (Ezekiel 9:8). Once again, a man places himself in the gap, approaching God seeking mercy on behalf of a nation that has not been faithful to Him, actually, God repeatedly called them a rebellious nation. Although Ezekiel presenting himself before the Lord is a picture of intercession, I want to focus on the mark given to those who cry out.

I believe God marks all Christians; he sees those who have come to Him through Jesus Christ. I use this verse to describe how intercessors have a heart for justice because they cry out against evil in the land. While God’s people in Jerusalem were given over to idolatry, perversity, and wickedness, some faithful people were vexed by it. They did not become apathetic or comfortable with what was happening; they cried out to God. They were not silent. 

Intercessors will weep over sin, while the culture normalizes and celebrates it. They will cry aloud and spare not against injustice, while others are complacent or comfortable. They grieve and sigh over the evil and corruption of their nation. When leaders who support evil double down and take firm stands, the intercessor kneels or prostrates in humility before God. Even when we deserve judgment, the intercessor cries out for mercy. As Ezekiel did when he fell face down before the Lord. This is the mark on an intercessor’s life. 

A similar thing happened to the prophet Jeremiah: 5:1, “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.” 

Like Ezekiel, Jeremiah saw wickedness in Jerusalem: abominations, a corrupted priesthood, false prophets, and coming judgment. But first, God asked him to search and see if he could find any righteous, honest, and truthful ones, any who cry out against the wickedness. How did Jeremiah respond? 

Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people (Jeremiah 9:1). The “weeping prophet” was broken over the people given over to evil, unfaithful to the Lord. 

Notice God’s heart. He gives the warning first: a call to repent and return. He looks for righteousness, for those who will stand when everyone else is bowing to the culture or gods of the land. He looks for intercessors who will weep and cry out, and stand in the gap before him on behalf of the land. And if that wasn’t merciful enough, He says, “If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city.” 

The Lord is reluctant to pour out His judgment; even though it is righteous judgment, He would still rather look for an intercessor, hear the cries of the vexed, and find even one person wholeheartedly seeking Him to withhold judgment. What a God we serve, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and great in mercy, not willing that any should perish, but that all would come to repentance. 

In Romans 8:26, the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groans too deep for words. Tears, groans, grief, and sighs are tokens of intercession. There are times our hearts will be so overwhelmed by what is happening around us that we will have no words- just tears, no prayers, just heaviness and grief, a burden that we bring to the Lord. 

The Holy Spirit reveals God’s heart and mind in the moments when we don’t know how to pray. He translates our tears into prayers and gives language to groans we have no words for. He is the reason our prayers will align with God’s perfect will. 

If you remember, the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah vexed Lot, and Abraham interceded for the cities, resulting in Lot and his family being rescued before judgment came. Whether he cried out against evil or cried out in repentance to the Lord, he heard and responded. Many times we read the Bible, and when oppression came and the people cried out to the Lord, he delivered them. May we never be a people who grow silent in the midst of evil. May it always be said that when God looked for intercessors for the nation, he found someone. When He looked for the righteous and faithful in the land, the remnant was ready. 

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil”(1 Peter 3:12). 

Father, 

We thank you for Your holiness, for Your lovingkindness, and for Your tender mercy that gives men everywhere time to repent. Lord, as we see evil around us, keep us humble as we intercede before You. Keep our hearts fleshy, untouched by the corruption, idolatry, and injustice that could harden us in unbelief. Keep our hearts tender and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s prompting to pray. Keep our hearts tender, so that we will let ourselves be led by Your Spirit, and when we have no words, Holy Spirit, turn our tears and sighs into intercession, perfect prayers. Give us boldness and mark us to cry aloud and spare not against all evil and injustice in the land. We thank you for the mark over us that comes by the blood of Jesus, protecting and preserving us. We thank you for the leading of Your Holy Spirit that aligns us with Your perfect will, so we can strike the mark in prayer, in Jesus name, amen.

How are you praying about this issue? Share your scriptures and prayers in the comments below.

IFA contributing writer Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor and listen to her podcast, Something To Share.