Intercessory prayer sounds like a complicated thing, but it is not difficult. Intercession is praying on behalf of someone else. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines it as “prayer or solicitation to one party in favor of another.” It is bringing someone else’s need before the throne of God. It is a privilege to be able to do this for friends, family, and even people we don’t know. We are told to do so as well in 1 Timothy:

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1 Timothy 2:1

James 5 tells us to pray one for another. Galatians 6:2 says to bear one another’s burdens. I see a trend here. We are commanded to bring our petitions for other people before the Lord! God is wanting us to come to him to make a difference in other people’s lives. Through His Word, we have many testimonies of this happening to encourage us to follow this commandment.

What do the scriptures say?

And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him [Jesus], he fell at his feet, and besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live….While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain which said, They daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe. And he suffered no man to follow him, save Peter, and James, and John the brother of James. And he cometh to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and seeth the tumult, and them that wept and wailed greatly, And when he was come in, he saith unto them, Why make ye this ado, and weep? the damsel is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn. But when he had put them all out, he taketh the father and the mother of the damsel , and them that were with him, and entereth in where the damsel was lying. And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her, Talitha cumi, which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise. And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.

Mark 5: 22-24, 35-42

Jesus healed a man’s daughter because of her father coming to Jesus on her behalf. Definitely a loving father saving his daughter.

And again he [Jesus] entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. and when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed where in the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, they sins be forgiven thee.

Mark 2: 1-5, emphasis mine

Because of the friends’ faith, Jesus heals the man they were carrying. Who you are around can make such a difference in your life.

And he [Jesus] arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon’s house. And Simon’s wife’s mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her. And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.

Luke 4: 38-39

Here (Simon) Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever. Because those who care about her sought Jesus for her, He healed her of the fever.

And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;  And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

Mark 9: 17-27

The child’s father was who asked Jesus for help for the possessed son. Jesus helped because of his faith in coming to Him.

Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.

Matthew 15: 21-28

This mother also sought Jesus to help heal her child.

And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented. And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him. The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel…And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.

Matthew 8: 5-10, 13

Wow! What great faith he saw in this man to say that! There are so many other examples such as in Matthew 9: 32-33 a dumb man is brought to Jesus for healing. In Mark 8:22-25 a blind man is healed. In Luke 7: 11-15 a widow’s son is brought back to life. In John 4: 46-53 Jesus heals a nobleman’s son. Over and over in the new testament during Jesus’s life on Earth we see people bringing other people’s needs to him for help. They are not going to Jesus for their own needs but for someone else’s.

But this is not only for the time during Jesus’s time on Earth. There are times in the old testament that God moved in someone’s life because of someone else praying.

And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.

Exodus 32: 7-14

Because of Moses praying for the Israelites, the Lord turned from his decision to wipe all of the people out after they had created a golden calf and began worshipping it. Moses saved a lot of people at the time from being destroyed for this sin.

And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again. And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

1 Kings 17: 17-22

Elijah went to God when the son of the widow he was staying with died. The Lord heard Elijah and revived her son.

A final thought

There are surely many more examples of people praying for others and bringing their concerns to the Lord for them. This is just a small sample. When we pray, don’t forget to pray for others. You never know who God is waiting to help because He’s waiting on YOU to ask.