Thought for the Day: Bonhoeffer on Intercession
Labels: Apologetics & Theology, Inspiration, Religion & Society
By Diane Singer|Published Date: November 05, 2009

Christian fellowship lives and exists by the intercession of its members for one another, or it collapses…. Intercession means no more than to bring our brother into the presence of God, to see him under the Cross of Jesus as a poor human being and sinner in need of grace. Then everything in him that repeals us falls away; we see him in all his destitution and need. His need and his sin become so heavy and oppressive that we feel them as our own, and we can do nothing else but pray…. To make intercession means to grant our brother the same right that we have received, namely, to stand before Christ and share in his mercy.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
 

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  1. Posted by Rolley “Also angry” Haggard on 2009-11-09 20:55:14

    Vikingmother, I’m angry too, but not at God. I’m angry at the Deceiver who led Eve astray and subverted Adam, forcing God to impose on creation the righteous curse that accounts for all the horrific diseases and afflictions that mankind has suffered since the beginning. You can be sure God is angry, too; so angry that at just the right moment in time He’s going to finally and fatally crush the head of that Serpent under His nail-scarred feet. // I’ll be praying for my kindred-spirit, Mark.

  2. Posted by vikingmother on 2009-11-09 16:58:50

    Am praying to day for my cousin Mark, who is a Christian angry at his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer...(Who wouldn't be angry???) Am also praying he recalls truths he heard in the many times he was brought to church...maybe in Sunday school...other teachings... He has not always been close to God, but it seems in these later years he is more so (tho he is not always good at going to church) *****I know this is not a prayer request place...but we all (or our close loved ones) will get that scary diagnosis, injury, tragedy...etc. where tragedy and pain smash us in the face. Of course, we need grace before then...too... Bonhoeffer helped in furthering God's grace to his Christian companions, Later they prayed (no doubt) to make sure he was shored up with more grace during his creepy time as "Hitler's Prisoner"...and then during his execution days before the war ended...

  3. Posted by AL on 2009-11-09 15:43:08

    Couldn't agree more. Tragically, we see far too little of this in the body. We pray for each other over minor things - operations, hangnails and the like, but all too rarely that we will truly experience salvation and the true grace of Christ as Bonhoeffer said so well.

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