Why does intercessory prayer matter? It has blessed me greatly in the past, and I want to share a story with you today. You may not realize the power your prayers for others really have.
A Story of Intercessory Prayer
Has anyone ever prayed for you? I certainly hope so! This is one of my memories of someone praying for me, and how it blessed me.
When I was in sixth grade, my uncle was in a life-threatening car crash. He was the driver, and my aunt and baby cousin were also riding along. On that curvy highway, a tractor-trailer truck crossed the center line and smashed right into the driver’s side of their car.
He was helicoptered to a big-city hospital three hours away in critical condition. We were not sure if he would make it, but we were thankful that my aunt and cousin were perfectly fine. A swirl of overwhelming emotions slammed into my 12-year-old brain and heart.
Since I was attending a Christian school attached to my church, my mom requested prayer from our church and school community. It was strange that so many now knew about our family crisis. I didn’t know what to expect.
The day after my teacher said a prayer for my uncle in class, one of my classmates approached me. She said, “We prayed for your uncle last night at supper, Sarah.” Knowing that she with her dad, mom, sister had prayed for my uncle provided an unexpected lift.
My burden was no longer my own to carry. I felt it lifted off by my classmate’s prayer. This was the first time I remember experiencing the benefits of intercessory prayer.
Why Intercessory Prayer Matters
Intercessory prayer is simply praying for others. God commands us to pray for others in the Bible, including in this verse:
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. James 5:16 NLT
We are to pray for others so that healing can occur. Not just physical healing, but emotional, mental, and spiritual healing too. When we lift others up in prayer, we help carry their burdens and amplify their own requests to God.
How to Pray for Others
Who needs your intercessory prayers today? I encourage you to take intentional action on your prayers for others. It’s easy to say that you’ll pray for someone else, but also so easy to forget. This is how I remember to pray on behalf of others:
1. Write it down. When I see just their name on a sticky note on my desktop, it prompts me to pray.
2. Pray immediately. Upon seeing an email request or a Facebook post, I close my eyes and say a prayer right then and there. Otherwise I tend to forget.
3. Keep a prayer journal. One year I dedicated a journal just for prayer. It was exciting to look back once a month and see how God answered the prayers!
God says your prayers for others have great power and produce wonderful results. When you pray for someone else, you can literally change his or her life. Your prayers glorify God and bless others in seen and unseen ways.
Has God laid a face or name on your heart as you read this? If so, stop and pray right now for that person. If not, ask God to identify someone for you. I promise you will experience joy and blessings as you faithfully pray for others!
(By the way, my uncle survived. But he did lose two fingers from his left hand. He also needed reconstructive jaw surgery. I’m so thankful to have him with us today, many years after the accident.)
If this post ministered to you, I’d love to hear from you and pray for you. You can use my contact page to request prayer from me, which is always kept confidential.
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