The end of the year can be an emotional time for many. What is supposed to be a joyous time of celebration and gathering together can sometimes bring feelings of grief and seasonal depression. We mourn the loss of loved ones who have passed. Some will mourn broken relationships with family members who have stopped speaking to them. This can be very lonely.

I decided to write this article about the intercessor Jesus Christ to show everyone that no matter what you face, you are never alone. Maybe what you are facing is fear of the future. Whatever you’re going through, Jesus understands you. 

View Comments (14)

Join others crying out to the Lord day and night

For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a shared feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One Who has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sinning (Hebrews 4:15 AMPC).

Have you been wrestling with feelings of sorrow or grief? Jesus did (see Isaiah 53:3a).

Have you felt the painful sting of rejection from those you love? Jesus did (see Isaiah 53:3b).

Have you ever felt frustrated? Jesus did (see Mark 8:11:12).

Do you feel that God is distant from you? Jesus did (see Matthew 27:46).

Jesus Understands You

Not only does Jesus understand your weakness, but he also sympathizes with you. That’s something Old Testament high priests could never do, but Jesus can. 

Jesus was fully God and man while He was on earth. Several translations say He was touched by our infirmities. This means He shared our feelings of frailty, weakness, and even illness. He felt the same emotions we do. 

Although we know Jesus as the Lion of Judah and the victorious one, He was also called the man of sorrows, in Isaiah 53.  He was acquainted with grief, that is, He was familiar with it. He understands your tears, your trials, and your suffering. There is nothing we feel or walk through that Jesus didn’t. He was even tempted, just as we are, except that He remained sinless. This is why He is the Great High Priest, the perfect intercessor.

Jesus Is Praying For You 

The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:23–25 ESV).

Yes, you read that right. Jesus Christ is praying for you. Intercession is a daunting task at times. We feel burdened for the lost. We feel grief over injustice. We labor long in prayer. In the Spirit, we are on the front lines praying for major issues, all while fighting private battles for ourselves and our loved ones too. When we co-labor with Him in prayer, we become burden bearers. We feel the weightiness of our prayer assignments. It can be weary at times. Jesus understands because He bore our sins and burdens. Because He understands, He lives to intercede for us. 

Jesus Is Your Defender

Other words for intercessor include “a go-between,” “a mediator,” and “an advocate.”  

I will focus on the intercessor-advocate connection. When we hear advocate, we might normally think of a lawyer or a counselor, someone who comes to our defense. And this embodies who Jesus the intercessor actually is.

We have need of an advocate, because the Bible warns that there is an “accuser of the brethren” — Satan — who accuses God’s people day and night.  

Satan’s end game involves wearing down the saints until we give up or give in (see Daniel 7:25).

But somebody is praying for you — and that somebody is Jesus Christ. He comes to our defense. He pleads our case by reminding God of His great sacrifice for humankind:

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV).

God no longer sees you as who you were. That person was crucified with Christ. God now sees you as righteous. 

Jesus will never plead the Fifth on your behalf, because He pleads His own blood.

He is your advocate, and He is a friend that sticks closer than a brother (see Proverbs 18:24). People may abandon you or reject you, but He never will. He promises to be with us until the very end (see Matthew 28:20). So, don’t give up!

We are new creations in Christ: The old has gone, and the new has come (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Intercession Lessons From Jesus 

In over 35 instances across the four Gospels, we read of Jesus praying. Sometimes He would pray for His disciples. He went about praying for and healing the sick, and He blessed children, too. 

There were also many times Jesus spent time alone. He modeled a lifestyle of prayer. He often taught his disciples about it. Jesus was always in prayer mode, and He was always ready. I believe this is why His ministry was so effective: It was saturated in prayers.

Jesus understood that prayer is our lifeline. It’s so much more than petitions and supplications, though those are important. It is your direct line to communion with God. It’s your invitation to enter the veil into the secret place with God and to enter His rest. The secret place is where we find comfort, protection, and everything we will ever need. 

Intercessors Need Other Intercessors

Jesus bid Peter, James, and John to watch and pray with Him in Gethsemane (see Matthew 26:38). Though Jesus prayed alone many times, He sometimes also invited His disciples to join Him. He had a small group of close followers. Even Jesus needed fellowship.

Intercession can feel very lonely at times. We already know that Jesus is praying for us. We intercessors also need friends and community. If Jesus had His own close friends (Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and others) and His 12 disciples (whom He called to be apostles), we too can have friends. If we had no need of other intercessors, why would Jesus live to make intercession for us?

Join others crying out to the Lord day and night

We Can All Start Somewhere

Community is important for all believers. Perhaps you do not at this time have a home church, though. You may have some serious health issues or there may be extenuating circumstances preventing you from getting to church. But some Christians have chosen to forgo church fellowship because they have been hurt or offended by otherelievers. Some sort of regular connection to other believers, however, is crucial.

I once interviewed a mature intercessor who made the effort to hold regular phone calls for prayer with four friends (some of them in different states) during the COVID pandemic, when churches were shut down. This telephone prayer group saw miracles and answers to their prayers. Maybe that is something you can do if anything is preventing your regular church attendance for now.

IFA has worked and is still working to strengthen the intercessor community. There are so many ways you can get involved. Find your state’s IFA prayer group and join with other intercessors in your area to pray over local and national issues. And IFA has recently launched something called The Community, through which intercessors can come together virtually to share with one another. Find out what’s happening right now, by checking out IFA’s Community Page.

Intercessors, let’s keep praying! Your ministry of prayer is so needed, and it is important for seeing God’s work get done in America and among the nations.

How has this article spoken to you? Share your thoughts and prayers in the comments.

Author Gloria Robles is a passionate intercessor with a prophetic voice for today. For more from Gloria, go to Spotify or Anchor to listen to her podcast Something To Share. Photo Credit: Getty Images.