God appreciates people who pray fervently for other people facing trials. Why does God command intercessory prayer, and how does He want us to do it?
In the midst of His greatest trial, Jesus prayed fervently. What would you have prayed about when facing torture and death? It’s fascinating to see what was on Jesus’ mind as He prayed, not only for Himself (Luke 22:41-42), but for His disciples and for us:
“As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.
“I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:18-21).
Jesus did not just focus inward, but by His words and His prayers (John 13-17) showed that He wanted love and joy and peace and patience and all the fruit of God’s Spirit for His followers.
He knew that His trial would be their trial. He knew that when He, the good Shepherd, was struck, “the sheep will be scattered” (Mark 14:27). He prayed for them—and us—out of love and deep concern.
He is our Intercessor (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). He is at our side and can sympathize with our weaknesses, and He makes it possible for us to receive the mercy and help we need (Hebrews 4:15-16). And He wants us to learn to be intercessors too.
Commands to pray for others
God gives us instructions to pray for others in several places in the Bible. The apostle James tells us to “pray for one another, that you may be healed” (James 5:16).
The apostle Paul encourages us to intercede for Church members and ministers, “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains” (Ephesians 6:18-20).
Paul exhorts us “that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1 Timothy 2:1-2, emphasis added throughout).
Jesus Christ even commanded, “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” (Matthew 5:44, emphasis added).
Why does God want us to pray for others? Because intercessory prayer reflects God’s own character of outgoing love and mercy. God wants us to think like He does, and praying for others helps us to think beyond ourselves and to grow in compassion for others. Why does God want us to pray for others? Because intercessory prayer reflects God’s own character of outgoing love and mercy. God wants us to think like He does, and praying for others helps us to think beyond ourselves and to grow in compassion for others.
God compares prayer with sweet-smelling incense that pleases Him (Revelation 5:8).
Misconceptions about intercessory prayer
Intercessory prayer is not a numbers game. God does not have to wait until 10 or 20 or 100 people pray about a situation in order to intervene. Prayer is not a vote or petition that God has to act on if enough people “sign” it. Our prayers can’t force God to do anything. He can and does act when the time is best, whether one or a million pray about it.
Also, intercessory prayer is not something we should do to try to earn points with God so we can collect when something bad happens to us. Our motivation must be love—outgoing, unselfish concern.
What about the person seeking prayers? Can a person ask other believers to pray for him and then find it unnecessary to pray himself? No, we can’t delegate prayer. Prayer is part of our personal relationship with God, and so we must go to Him fervently ourselves, whether or not others are praying for us.
How to intercede in prayer
Prayer is a vital part of our communication with our loving Father in heaven. In the Bible He tells us how we can pray most effectively—in a way that pleases Him. Here are a few biblical principles for effective intercessory prayer. We should pray:
- From the heart.(See our article “Prayer From the Heart” for more about this.)
- In what is often called the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11; see “The Lord’s Prayer”). We should pray for our needs and the needs of others every day.
- In detail. God knows everything; but He wants us to come to Him with all our specific requests because He likes to hear from us and to know what is important to us. The Bible compares our prayers to incense, and God loves prayers that are like “sweet incense beaten fine” (Leviticus 16:12).
- With faith, knowing that God has all power and loves the people we are praying for. (For more about faith, see “What Is Faith?”)
- With love. Godly love is totally unselfish and is the essence of God’s character (see “God Is Love”).
- James 5:16 tells us “the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
- With a desire to help where we can. This might include physical help and encouragement. Cards, calls and visits might be helpful. It is not wrong to tell a person you are praying for him or her if it will help encourage the person.
- Occasionally with fasting. When a situation is very serious or hits close to home for you, you may decide to fast and pray to draw close to God to present your supplication to Him. (Read more about fasting in our article “What Is Fasting?”)
Study biblical examples of intercessory prayer
The Bible gives many examples of people praying for others, and we can learn a lot by studying and meditating on these examples. Here are just a few:
- Abraham interceded for the people of Sodom for the sake of his nephew Lot (Genesis 18:23-33).
- Moses pleaded for God’s mercy for the sinning people of Israel (Exodus 32:9-14; Numbers 14:11-20).
- Daniel made supplication to God for his people (Daniel 9:3-19).
- The apostle Peter prayed for Dorcas (Acts 9:36-41).
- The apostle Paul prayed for the people he served (Romans 1:9-10; 10:1; Ephesians 1:15-19; Philippians 1:3-11; 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13).
by Mike Bennett
Be an Intercessor for Christ Today.
Blessings
