Building upon Part I, this essay goes deeper into the intercession of saints (የቅዱሳን ምልጃ/ጸሎት) within Orthodox Christianity. It examines how saints and righteous figures throughout history have served as powerful intercessors, showcasing the transformative power of their prayers. This essay focuses on the intercession of saints during their lifetime, reserving the discussion on the intercession of departed saints for upcoming essays.
The Old Testament (ብሉይ ኪዳን) provides remarkable examples of God working through the prayers of holy men. The prophet Elijah (ኤልያስ) stands out as a compelling case study. Through his fervent prayers, he withheld rain for three and a half years, challenging the widespread idolatry among the Israelites (1 Kings 17:1-7). “...በፊቱ የቆምሁት የእስራኤል አምላክ ሕያው እግዚአብሔርን! ከአፌ ቃል በቀር በእነዚህ ዓመታት ጠልና ዝናብ አይሆንም አለው።”
Elijah’s successor, Elisha (ኤልሳዕ), also performed miracles through prayer. One instance involved a woman who had tragically lost her child. Elisha, moved by her grief, prayed fervently, and the child's life was restored (2 Kings 4:18-37). “ኤልሳዕም ወደ ቤት በገባ ጊዜ እነሆ፥ ሕፃኑ ሞቶ በአልጋው ላይ ተጋድሞ ነበር። ገብቶም በሩን ከሁለቱ በኋላ ዘጋ፥ ወደ እግዚአብሔርም ጸለየ:: …ግያዝንም ጠርቶ፦ ይህችን ሱነማዊት ጥራ አለው። ጠራትም፥ ወደ እርሱም በገባች ጊዜ፦ ልጅሽን አንሥተሽ ውሰጂ አላት።”
King David, known for both his devotion and failings, also exemplifies intercession. When faced with a devastating plague (ቸነፈር) as punishment for his sins, David acknowledged his error and prayed for the innocent people suffering due to his actions. His heartfelt prayer resulted in the plague being stopped. (2 Samuel 24:15-25). “የእግዚአብሔርም መልአክ ኢየሩሳሌምን ያጠፋት ዘንድ እጁን በዘረጋ ጊዜ እግዚአብሔር ስለ ክፉው ነገር አዘነ፥ ዳዊትም ሕዝቡን የሚመታውን መልእክ ባየ ጊዜ እግዚአብሔርን፦ እነሆ፥ እኔ በድያለሁ ጠማማም ሥራ እኔ አድርጌአለሁ፤ እነዚህ በጎች ግን እነርሱ ምን አደረጉ? እጅህ በእኔና በአባቴ ቤት ላይ እንድትሆን እለምንሃለሁ ብሎ ተናገረው።… በዚያም ዳዊት ለእግዚአብሔር መሠዊያ ሠራ፥ የሚቃጠልና የደኅንነትንም መሥዋዕት አቀረበ። እግዚአብሔርም ስለ አገሪቱ የተለመነውን ሰማ፥ መቅሠፍቱም ከእስራኤል ተከለከለ።”
The prophet Jeremiah (ኤርምያስ) also serves as a powerful example of intercession. When the Israelites faced another punishment, Jeremiah spent ten days in intense prayer, asking for God's mercy (Jeremiah 42:1-17). ጸሎታችሁን በፊቱ አቀርብ ዘንድ ወደ እርሱ የላካችሁኝ የእስራኤል አምላክ እግዚአብሔር እንዲህ ይላል:: ስላደረግሁባችሁ ክፉ ነገር ተጸጽቻለሁና በዚህች ምድር ብትቀመጡ እሠራችኋለሁ እንጂ አላፈርሳችሁም፥ እተክላችኋለሁ እንጂ አልነቅላችሁም።”
In conclusion, the stories of Elijah, Elisha, David, and Jeremiah offer a glance into the power of intercession within Orthodox Christianity. These figures, though human, were vessels through which God's grace flowed, bringing healing, restoration, and life itself. Their examples inspire us to cultivate a life of prayer, not just for ourselves but also for those in need, trusting in God's love and mercy shown through the power of intercession.
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