At God’s Right Hand

David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave.

God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand.

Acts 2:31-33

When Peter taught masses of people gathered in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost, he gave them assurance that what had been prophesied centuries before had come to pass in Christ’s resurrection and ascension to heaven. Ever since Jesus sat down on the throne of highest honor in heaven, he has been interceding for us. In fact, Hebrews tells us that he lives to pray for those who belong to God.

I’ve found this one of the most remarkable aspects of prayer: that when we pray for others, we are joining our Savior in his full-time, eternal vocation—making intercession for the saints. When you and another person run a marathon, serve together, or pray together, you grow closer to each other. That’s what happens in our relationship with God: this partnership in prayer can bring a deeper friendship and intimacy between us and Christ than we ever imagined possible. Moreover, it is a profound mystery that when we pray, we are joining the Son who sits on the throne next to the Father in highest heaven. It is his life, his Spirit, within us that is praying as we live and move and have our being in him.

Through the gift and vehicle of prayer, we are privileged to draw into ever closer union with Jesus as we experience his heart of compassion and love for others.

Open my eyes to the great gift of joining Jesus Christ as he intercedes for all believers. Forgive me for taking for granted the access I have to the throne of grace. Grant me a fresh vision of the Savior, that I might more often and more earnestly enter into this gift of prayer.

Around us is a world lost in sin, above us is a God willing and able to save; it is ours to build the bridge that links heaven and earth, and prayer is the mighty instrument that does the work. If we do our part, God will do His.

E. M. Bounds(1835–1913), American minister and writer