prophesy and intercession

I have been thinking a lot these past few days about intercession and prophecy. I wanted to share my thoughts and findings and prayers about them, and in a few days, I will let you know the answers to my findings.

Isaiah 53 says yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors. (end of verse 12). This is, of course, Isaiah talking about Jesus interceding on behalf of the robbers also being crucified. He is what many like to call ‘standing in the gap’. I understand that he does that. But what does that mean for humans and intercession?

Romans 8: 34 Christ Jesus…who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people.

“There he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.” Hebrews 9:15

Intercession: the act of intervening on behalf of another.

I don’t doubt that God has given me the ability to intercede for people. He has given me very clear cut things for people. Sometimes those are things they are experiencing right in that moment. Sometimes I will get present struggles or happenings and future things. But I have never had the Lord reveal something in someone’s future without it being in a time of intercession. And when those times happen and I actually remember the things that I had been praying for, I have never been able to tell someone those future things until a later time—usually being when they go through them. So is that prophecy intertwined with intercession? Through the gift of intercession, God has at times given me the ability of other gifts—dreams, interpretations, encouragement, and prophecy.

Prophesy: say that (a specific thing) will happen in the future; speak or write by divine inspiration; when a man prophesies; it is because the spirit of the Lord comes upon him
Does God use each of us in prophesy? Is there a difference between prophecy and encouragement? In my mind there is. Prophecy is future things, something spoken for the future. Encouragement is most generally for that moment in time. You usually give a word of encouragement of scripture for something someone is going through.

Amos 3:7 “For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servant the prophet.”

Amos 3:8 “The Lord God has spoken; who can but prophesy?”

1 Chronicles 25:1 “David and his priests…who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals.”

1 Corinthians 14 (1) “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts especially that you may prophesy. (3) …the one who prophesies speaks to people for their up building and encouragement and consolation.” Does this mean that there is encouragement included in prophesy? Are they one in the same or two different things?

So, should everyone therefore, expect to prophesy, and should they be seeking out God for those things? Does everyone receive this gift?

Does this make any sense? This is just all the stuff that has been running through my head these past 4 or 5 days. I don’t know if you are getting the connection I am making between the two and what I am really looking for here or not. I want to understand them a little better individually, but I also think they are connected and have just really been questioning whether prophesy is something we are ALL gifted with or just some people. I don’t doubt that God will do what he wants in his time, I know he can, will, and has given people prophesy for certain times. But, should I be expectant on hearing the Lord give me future things for people? Or is the simple act of telling people whatever it is the Lord gives me an act of prophesy? Because in my mind, prophesy isn’t usually the things I get from the Lord. I just think of those things as either truth, or encouragement.