Intercession in the Bible

Intercession is the holy work of standing before God in prayer on behalf of others. It is one of the highest privileges of the believer and a ministry to which Scripture repeatedly calls the people of God. The apostle Paul places it first among the kinds of prayer the church must offer: "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men" (1 Timothy 2:1). To intercede is to take up the burdens of others—their salvation, their needs, their sins—and to carry them into the presence of God. The Old Testament reveals how seriously God regards this ministry. In Ezekiel 22:30 the Lord laments, "I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land"—but found none. Where intercessors are lacking, judgment advances unchecked. The prophet Samuel, by contrast, counted prayerlessness a sin against God: "God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you" (1 Samuel 12:23). Intercession is mighty in its effect. James 5:16 promises that "the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Yet we do not pray in our own strength alone; "the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities... the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Romans 8:26). Paul urges constancy in this labor: "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit... for all saints" (Ephesians 6:18). The New Testament holds up Epaphras as a model, a man "always labouring fervently for you in prayers" (Colossians 4:12). Such intercession is not passive but a wrestling, persevering, sacrificial labor of love. Every Christian is called to stand in the gap—for family, for the church, for the lost, and for the nations—trusting that the God who hears delights to answer the prayers of His people.