Intercessory prayer means standing before God on behalf of someone else. This page is for you if you want to learn how to intercede for others, if a friend has asked you to pray for them, or if you carry a burden for your family, your church or your city. You do not need special words. Prayer for others starts with love, and Jesus himself intercedes for us.
Prayers
Lord, Teach Me to Pray for Others
Lord, I often pray about my own needs, and I want to learn to pray for others too. Open my eyes to the people you place around me: my family, my friends, my coworkers, my neighbors, even those who are hard to love. Give me a heart that cares about what they are living. Remind me to pray for them by name, faithfully, even when I do not see answers right away. I pray for those in authority, for those who are sick, for those who are lonely and for those who do not know you. Thank you for listening when I speak for others. Teach me to intercede with humility, trusting your wisdom more than my own solutions. In Jesus' name, amen.
1 Timothy 2:1
For a Friend in Crisis
Father, I come to you for my friend who is going through a crisis. I do not know all the details, and sometimes I do not even know what to ask. Your Spirit helps me in my weakness and prays where my words fall short. Protect my friend, body, mind and heart. Give them wisdom for the decisions in front of them, peace in the middle of the storm and people who will support them. If they feel far from you, draw them close. Make me a faithful friend, ready to listen, to help in practical ways and to keep what they share in confidence. I place this situation in your hands and I trust your love for them. In Jesus' name, amen.
Romans 8:26
For My Church and My City
Lord, I lift up my church and my city to you. Bless the pastors and leaders, give them wisdom, rest and integrity. Unite the members in love, and keep us from division and pride. Make our church a place where the hurting are welcomed and the lost can find you. I also pray for my city: for its leaders, its schools, its hospitals and its families. Bring peace where there is violence and hope where there is despair. Show us how to serve our neighbors in practical ways. Let your love be seen through ordinary people who care. Use us to seek the good of this place, and help us pray for it faithfully, week after week. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus' name, amen.
Jeremiah 29:7
Jesus intercedes for me
« Therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, seeing that he lives forever to make intercession for them. »
Hebrews 7:25
I proclaim that Jesus is alive and that he intercedes for me before the Father. My prayers for others rest on his own intercession.
Pray for one another
« Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective. »
James 5:16
I declare that praying for others is not wasted time. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful, because God hears it.
Carrying one another's burdens
« Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. »
Galatians 6:2
I proclaim that I am not called to live for myself alone. When I carry the burdens of others in prayer, I fulfill the law of Christ.