Interceding in Prayer for Others

Recorded in all four Gospels we read the story of several men who carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. Jesus was teaching in a house surrounded by people listening to His teachings. Desperate for their friend to get to Jesus, these faithful friends carried him up onto the roof, and then lowered him through the roof on his mat. These friends were willing to do some heavy lifting and some house reconstruction to get their friend before Jesus.

In the same way, when we pray for others, or intercede for them, we are lifting them and their needs up to the throne of God and laying them before the feet of Jesus. When we intercede for others, we are taking our focus off our own needs and focusing on those of others.

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Paul interceded for the spiritual well-being of those he prayed for, recognizing that it was ultimately what mattered. He prayed that Christ would dwell in their hearts (see Ephesians 4:17); that they would comprehend the depths of God’s love for them (see Ephesians 4:17b-19); for spiritual wisdom and enlightenment (see Ephesians 1:17-18), and much more.

Jesus was also an incredible intercessor. As Richard J. Foster writes in his book Prayer, Jesus prayed for His disciples “for their protection, for the full measure of Christ’s joy within them, and for their sanctification by God’s Word. Those words in John 17:6-19 are what a parent would pray for their child.”

He also prayed for all believers (that’s you and me!) in John 17:20-26, for our unity, for our witness to the world, and for our relationship with Him and our Heavenly Father. It’s incredible and humbling to think of our Lord and Savior praying 2,000 years ago for you and for me hours before He would go to the cross for us. He was headed toward His death, and yet He took the time to focus on and pray for you and for me and all other believers.

Jesus was praying and interceding for us then, and even more incredibly, He still intercedes for us today. Romans 8:34 says that Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” In 1 John 2:1 we read that Jesus is our “advocate with the Father,” and from Hebrews 7:25 we learn that Jesus “always lives to intercede” for us.

Richard J. Foster explains Jesus’ ministry of intercession this way:

Jesus makes it unmistakably clear to his disciples that His going to the Father would catapult them into a new dimension of prayer … Jesus is entering his eternal work as Intercessor before the throne of God, and as a result, we are enabled to pray for others with an entirely new authority.

Our ministry of intercession is made possible only because of Christ’s continuing ministry of intercession.

Lifting others up in prayer to the throne of God is a selfless and beautiful way of caring for individuals, whether they are loved ones or are strangers we may never meet. Richard J. Foster says that intercession is not only an act of love but a “priestly ministry … As priests, appointed and anointed by God, we have the honor of going before the Most High on behalf of others … It is a sacred obligation—and a precious privilege.”

Jesus our Lord, Savior, and great High Priest (see Hebrews 4:14-16), engages in priestly prayer and ministry for us today from heaven. I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to spend more time in prayer, thanking Jesus for the gift of salvation and prayer, and also to spend more time interceding for others as Jesus does.

Using Prayer Cards to Intercede for Others

I’ve tried many different systems when it comes to recording and keeping track of prayer requests and areas I want to pray. Prayer lists, notebooks, prayer journals, even prayer calendars have been helpful. Trying to keep them all in my head can work sometimes but can also feel overwhelming. So when I read Paul E. Miller’s book A Praying Life and learned about using prayer cards, I was excited to try it. Miller shares that one day, when he was struggling to focus his prayers:

A thought suddenly came to me. Put the Word to work. I got some three-by-five index cards and on each one wrote the name of a family member, along with a Scripture that I could use to shape my prayers for that person …

A list is often a series of scattered prayer requests, while a prayer card focuses on one person or area in your life. It allows you to look at the person or situation from multiple perspectives. Over time, it helps you reflect on what God does in response to your prayers. You begin to see patterns, and slowly a story unfolds that you find yourself drawn into … When I pray, I have only one card in front of me at a time, which helps me concentrate on that person or need.

I found that prayer cards are such a helpful tool to help me intercede in prayer for friends, family, communities, church, etc.

I also started making cards to pray for specific topics. For example, I have a card with names of people I would like to see saved and a few Scriptures about salvation. I have a card with names of people I’d like to see experience physical healing and Scriptures to pray about healing. When I learn about natural disasters, wars, and examples of injustice around the world, I look up verses to pray for that particular topic and write down specific prayer requests and Bible verses to help me intercede for those people with God’s Word. I have a card for missionaries and mission-based organizations I want to pray for with verses to pray.

Prayer cards have been a wonderful tool to help me stay focused while praying and to ensure I’m interceding for others on the same page as our heavenly Father. And when a prayer request has been answered, I jot a quick note about the answer to prayer with the date in a different color ink next to the prayer request. Sometimes we need those visual reminders that God answers prayers. This then encourages us to continue interceding in prayer.