Lesson 5: Praying for Others

A prayer life that stays focused on our own needs eventually becomes small. Intercession, praying for other people, is what opens it up. It is also one of the surest ways to keep praying, because once you know others are counting on your prayers, skipping becomes much harder.

Why intercede

Jesus is the one true intercessor; He stands before the Father pleading for us constantly. When we pray for others, we join His prayer. God has chosen to involve us in His care for the world, so that our love for other people becomes part of how He acts. Praying for your sick neighbor is not informing God; it is participating in His love for her.

Intercession also changes us. It is nearly impossible to resent someone you sincerely pray for. It pulls us out of self-absorption and reminds us that we belong to a body, the Church, whose members carry one another.

Keep a list

The single most useful tool for intercession is a written list. Memory is unreliable, especially under stress. Keep a small notebook or a note on your phone with names and needs. Review it during your daily prayer. When a prayer is answered, mark it and give thanks; over time the list becomes a record of God's faithfulness.

Organize it however helps. Some people have categories: family, friends, the sick, the dead, the Church, the world. Others simply list names. Some assign days of the week to different groups so that no one is forgotten.

How to pray for someone

You do not need many words. Say the name. Say the need briefly. Entrust the person to God. Lord, I bring you Maria, who is waiting for test results. Be with her. That is a complete intercession.

When you do not know what to ask, ask for what God wants for them. When you know exactly what to ask, ask boldly and then add, Your will be done. Both are faithful.

Pray immediately

When someone asks you to pray, pray right then, even silently, even for ten seconds. Do not promise to pray later and forget. If possible, pray with them aloud; most people are moved by it. Then add them to your list.

Pray for the hard cases

Make a rule to pray for people you dislike or who have hurt you. Jesus commanded it. Keep it simple: Lord, bless him, and give him what he needs. You will notice the resentment loosening over weeks.

Also pray for those no one else remembers: prisoners, the homeless person you passed, politicians you cannot stand, the dead with no one to pray for them. Intercession is widest when it reaches the forgotten.

Practice exercise

Start your intercession list now. Write at least ten names: three family members, three friends, two people who are sick or struggling, one person you find difficult, and one person or group in the news. Tomorrow, pray through the list during your prayer time, saying each name and one sentence. Tell at least one of them that you prayed.