Bible Lesson: Intercessory Prayer:
Abraham Intercedes For Ishmael.
Bible Text:
Genesis 17:18-20 NLT
18 So Abraham said to God, “May
Ishmael live under your special blessing!”
19 But God replied, “No—Sarah,
your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac,
and I will confirm My covenant with him and his descendants as an
everlasting covenant.
20 As for Ishmael, I will bless him
also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and
multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve
princes, and I will make him a great nation.
Intercede: To plead or make a
request in behalf of another or others.
Intercessor: A person who
intercedes.
Intercession: Pleading, or
prayer in behalf of another or others.
Should it come as a surprise to you,
better late than never, there are others that need –
your prayers!
If a new idea for you, and for many
shamefully so, read it again.
The Lord spoke to Abram and said...
Genesis 15:4,5
NLT
4 “...“No, your servant will not
be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your
heir.”
5 Then The Lord took Abram outside
and said to him, “Look up into the sky and count the stars if you
can. That’s how many descendants you will have!”
Genesis 16:1-15
NLT (The Birth of Ishmael)
1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not
been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant
named Hagar.
2 So Sarai said to Abram, “The
Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my
servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed
with Sarai’s proposal.
3 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took
Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This
happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.)
4 So Abram had sexual relations with
Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant,
she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt.
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “This
is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that
she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show
who’s wrong—you or me!”
6 Abram replied, “Look, she is
your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated
Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
7 The Angel Of The Lord found Hagar
beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. 8
The Angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you
come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my
mistress, Sarai,” she replied.
9 The Angel Of The Lord said to her,
“Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”
10 Then He added, “I will give you
more descendants than you can count.”
11 And The Angel also said, “You
are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him
Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for The Lord has heard
your cry of distress.
12 This son of yours will be a wild
man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against
everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open
hostility against all his relatives.”
13 Thereafter, Hagar used another
name to refer to The Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You
are The God Who sees Me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen The
One who sees me?”
14 So that well was named
Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of The Living One who sees me”).
It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar gave Abram a son, and
Abram named him Ishmael.
16 Abram was eighty-six years old
when Ishmael was born.
Genesis 17:1-8;15-22 NLT
1 When Abram was ninety-nine years
old, The Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God
Almighty.’ Serve Me faithfully and live a blameless life.
2 I will make a covenant with you,
by which I will guarantee to give you countless descendants.”
3 At this, Abram fell face down on
the ground. Then God said to him,
4 “This is My covenant with you: I
will make you the father of a multitude of nations!
5 What’s more, I am changing your
name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called
Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.
6 I will make you extremely
fruitful. Your descendants will become many nations, and kings will
be among them!
7 “I will confirm My covenant with
you and your descendants after you, from generation to generation.
This is the everlasting covenant: I will always be your God and the
God of your descendants after you. 8 And I will give the entire land
of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your
descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their
God.”
15 Then God said to Abraham,
“Regarding Sarai, your wife—her name will no longer be Sarai.
From now on her name will be Sarah.
16 And I will bless her and give you
a son from her! Yes, I will bless her richly, and she will become the
mother of many nations. Kings of nations will be among her
descendants.”
17 Then Abraham bowed down to the
ground, but he laughed to himself in disbelief. “How could I become
a father at the age of 100?” he thought. “And how can Sarah have
a baby when she is ninety years old?”
18 So Abraham said to God, “May
Ishmael live under your special blessing!”
19 But God replied, “No—Sarah,
your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac,
and I will confirm My covenant with him and his descendants as an
everlasting covenant.
20 As for Ishmael, I will
bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely
fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of
twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But My covenant will be confirmed
with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next
year.”
22 When God had finished speaking,
he left Abraham.
Does God Keep
His Promises?
Genesis
21:1-7,12,13,18,20,21 NLT
1 The Lord kept His word and did for
Sarah exactly what he had promised.
2 She became pregnant, and she gave
birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the
time God had said it would.
3 And Abraham named their son Isaac.
4 Eight days after Isaac was born,
Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded.
5 Abraham was 100 years old when
Isaac was born.
6 And Sarah declared, “God has
brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me.
7 Who would have said to Abraham
that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his
old age!”
12.. Isaac is the son through whom
your descendants will be counted.
13 But I will also make a nation
of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.”
18... (Promise from The Angel Of The
Lord) I will make a great nation from his (Ishmaels) descendants.”
20 And God was with the boy as he
grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer,
21 and he settled in the wilderness
of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land
of Egypt.
Dear Christian
friend, it “is,” God's will that you,...intercede for others!
Who?
All men, kings
and all those in authority:
I Timothy 2:1,2
KJV
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of
all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be
made for all men;
2 For kings, and for all that are in
authority;
Christian
workers:
Philippians 1:19
NLT
For I know that as you pray for me
and The Spirit Of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my
deliverance.
Jerusalem
Psalm 122:6 KJV
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
they shall prosper that love thee.
Our friends
Job 42:8 NLT
So take seven bulls and seven rams
and go to My servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves.
My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on
your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not
spoken accurately about Me, as My servant Job has.”
The people of
our country.
Romans 10:1 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, the
longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel
to be saved.
The sick
James 5:14 KJV
Is any sick among you? let him call
for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing
him with oil in the name of The Lord:
Our enemies
Matthew 5:44 KJV
But I say unto you, Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you,
and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Those who
forsake us
II Timothy 4:16
KJV
The first time I was brought before
the judge, no one came with me. Everyone abandoned me. May it not be
counted against them.
Friend, keep
praying! (See the book “Unlocking The Mysteries Of
Prayer-(above page)
Prayer is much,
much more than what we realize. Whether you feel like it or not,
pray, pray for yourself, and be sure to pray for others, because they
need your prayers!
I Samuel 12:23
KJV
Moreover as for me, God forbid that
I should sin against The Lord in ceasing to pray for you..."
Ephesians
6:16-18 NLT
16 "...hold up the shield of
faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.
17 Put on salvation as your helmet,
and take The Sword Of The Spirit, which is The Word Of God.
18 Pray in The Spirit at all
times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your
prayers for all believers everywhere.
