Intercession: Praying for Other People
Prayer grows beyond self when we carry other people before God. Intercession is one of the clearest ways prayer teaches love.
- Read the primary Bible passages carefully and in context.
- Compare Scripture with Scripture before drawing the conclusion.
- State the main truth in plain words you could explain to someone else.
- Complete the Quick Checks and guided study before moving on.
Pray for all kinds of people
1 Timothy 2:1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1 Timothy 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Intercession reaches beyond people we naturally like. Paul specifically mentions rulers and authorities. Prayer for leaders is not an endorsement of everything they do. It is obedience to God's instruction.
Pray for spiritual growth, not only physical needs
Colossians 1:9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
Colossians 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Paul's prayer list was deeply spiritual: knowledge, wisdom, a worthy walk, fruitfulness, and growth in knowing God. Our prayer lists should include more than surgeries and travel. Pray for doctrine, courage, holiness, wisdom, service, marriages, parenting, soul winning, and endurance.
Intercession teaches you to notice people
When you regularly pray for someone, you become more alert to opportunities to encourage, serve, give, call, teach, or help. Prayer should not become a substitute for love in action; it should help produce it.
Compare Scripture with Scripture
Scripture trail: 1 Timothy 2:1 • 1 Timothy 2:2 • 1 Timothy 2:3 • 1 Timothy 2:4 • Colossians 1:9 • Colossians 1:10 • 1 Timothy 2:1, 1 Timothy 2:2, 1 Timothy 2:3, 1 Timothy 2:4 • Matthew 6:6-13
Do not rush past the references. Open them, read the surrounding verses, and make the Bible carry the weight of the conclusion.
Think it through
- What does the passage teach about God, the believer, and the proper content or attitude of prayer?
- How does this truth shape prayer without turning prayer into a saving work or a technique for controlling God?
- How could you pray this truth back to God in your own words today?
Teach it back
Without looking at the lesson explanation, summarize Intercession: Praying for Other People in two or three sentences and support your explanation from Scripture. If you cannot explain it simply yet, return to the passages and work through them again.
Slow down and work the text
Reopen 1 Timothy 2:1, 1 Timothy 2:2, 1 Timothy 2:3, 1 Timothy 2:4. Read enough before and after each verse to see the setting. Do not settle for remembering a slogan when you can inspect the wording for yourself.
- Write the main claim of Intercession: Praying for Other People in one sentence.
- Underline or write down the exact words in the passages that support that claim.
- Compare at least two of the passages. What truth becomes clearer when they are read together?
- Ask what could be misunderstood if one phrase were isolated from its context.
- Turn one truth from the lesson into a short, Bible-shaped prayer to God.
- What does this lesson teach about God and prayer?
- How should this truth affect the way you pray?
- What mistaken idea about prayer does the Scripture correct?
Intercession carries other people before God. Pray for leaders, the lost, church members, families, workers, and especially for spiritual growth.
Church Prayer and Praying Together
17 min