THE NECESSITY OF COMBINING WORSHIP AND INTERCESSION

Whenever I travel the world and teach on prayer in the nations I usually meet faithful and fiery intercessors. They have learned to pray when no one else showed up and they have worked the muscle of pressing through the dry times and persevering. They love prayer. However, when they come to attend one of our schools and learn how to interact with a worship team the combination of prayer and worship is usually a new concept to them. More often than not they suddenly feel insecure and less important than those who also play an instrument and sing. 

That is why I love to start teaching on prayer by looking at the biblical model for prayer and worship. I believe in order for us to see unceasing night and day prayer raised up before the return of Christ we need to align our meetings with the heavenly pattern found in Revelation 4 and 5. Here we get an astounding glimpse into the crescendo happening around His throne. 

The living creatures outfitted with countless eyes do not rest day or night worshipping the One who sits on the throne. Since their creation and the moment they first opened their eyes to behold Uncreated Beauty they have been crying out “Holy Holy Holy” in an overwhelming response. The twenty-four elders, representatives of humanity before the throne of God, fall on their knees to worship Him who lives forever and ever. There is no break in their praises because there is no end to the beauty of the One who inspires it all. 

Since its creation praise has been ascribed to the One through whom all things were made and exist. But in the middle of the praises we see something special taking place in Revelation 5:8. The prayers of the saints are offered in the very midst of the musical environment of praise. The privilege of intercession is kept for the human race. Angels have been worshipping the Lord of Host since all the ages but only humans can enter into the holy act of asking God for things and thereby reigning together with Him. Christ had to become a human to become our intercessor. It says in Hebrews that he did not die for the angels but for us. Angels fear to tread upon the holy ground we have been invited into. It is humanity that gets not only to know His heart but also to move it, too.

The Bible clearly shows us that worship and intercession are two sides of the same coin. To worship God is to agree with who He is and to intercede is to agree with what is in His heart to do. The book of Psalms is full of prophetic prayers set to music. Prayer and worship are meant to be knit together if we want to sustain the unceasing reality around the throne. What God has put together let no man separate.