Praying For Others 

Bible verses about praying for others 

How marvelous it is that we have a God who listens! How wonderful it is that we have a God who wants us to talk to Him! What a blessing it is that we can pray to our Lord. We don’t have to have a human intercessor – for we have Christ, who is our perfect intercessor. One of the ways that we care for and love one another is by praying for them. Let’s see what the Bible says about praying for others. 

Christian quotes about praying for others

“Pray for others before praying for yourself.”

“It is not only our duty to pray for others, but also to desire the prayers of others for ourselves.” – William Gurnall

“When you pray for others God listens to you and blessed them. So when you are safe and happy remember that someone is praying for you.”

“We never know how God will answer our prayers, but we can expect that He will get us involved in His plan for the answer. If we are true intercessors, we must be ready to take part in God’s work on behalf of the people for whom we pray.” Corrie Ten Boom

“You are never more like Jesus than when you pray for others. Pray for this hurting world.” — Max Lucado

“I have been benefited by praying for others; for by making an errand to God for them I have gotten something for myself.” Samuel Rutherford

“True intercession involves bringing the person, or the circumstance that seems to be crashing in on you, before God, until you are changed by His attitude toward that person or circumstance. People describe intercession by saying, “It is putting yourself in someone else’s place.” That is not true! Intercession is putting yourself in God’s place; it is having His mind and His perspective.” ― Oswald Chambers

“Intercession is the truly universal work for the Christian. No place is closed to intercessory prayer: no continent, no nation, no city, no organization, no office. No power on earth can keep intercession out.” Richard Halverson

“Your prayer for someone may or may not change them, but it always changes you.”

“Our prayers for others flow more easily than those for ourselves. This shows we are made to live by charity.” C.S Lewis

“If you develop a habit of praying to God for others. You will never need to pray for your own self.”

“The greatest gifts we can give to each other, is to pray for one another.”

“Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.” D.L. Moody

God commands us to pray for others

Praying for others is not only a blessing for us to do, but it is also a vital part of living the Christian life. We are commanded to carry one another’s burdens. One way we can do this is by praying for one another. A prayer that is on behalf of someone else is called intercessory prayer. Praying for others strengthens our bond with them, and it also strengthens our relationship with the Lord. 

1. Job 42:10 “And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

2. Galatians 6:2 “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

3. 1 John 5:14 “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

4. Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Why should we pray for others?

We pray for others for comfort, for salvation, for healing, for safety – for any number of reasons. God uses prayer to align our hearts to His will. We can pray that someone comes to know God, or that God will allow their lost dog to return home – we can pray for any reason at all. 

5. 2 Corinthians 1:11 “You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.”

6. Psalm 17:6 “I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer.”

7. Psalm 102:17 “He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea.”

8. James 5:14 “Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.”

9. Colossians 4:3-4 “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”

How to pray for others?

We are commanded to pray without ceasing and pray prayers of thanksgiving in all situations. This even applies to how we are to pray for others. We are not commanded to pray mindless repetitions, nor are we told that only superbly eloquent prayers are heard.

10. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

11. Matthew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

12. Ephesians 6:18 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.”

What is the importance of praying for others?

One of the benefits from praying is experiencing the peace of God. When we pray, God will work in our hearts. He conforms us to His will and fills us with His peace. We ask the Holy Spirit to intercede on their behalf. We pray for them because we love them and want them to come to know God more deeply.

13. Philippians 4:6-7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

14. Philippians 1:18-21 “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.”

Pray for your enemies

We not only pray for those who we love, but we should even pray for those who hurt us, those that we would even call our enemies. This helps us to keep from being bitter. It also helps us to grow in empathy for them, and not to harbor unforgiveness. 

15. Luke 6:27-28 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.”

16. Matthew 5:44 “But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.”

Bear each other’s burdens

The biggest reason we pray for one another is that we are commanded to bear one another’s burdens. We will all reach a point where we stagger and fall – and we need one another. This is one of the purposes of the church. We are there for when our brother or sister staggers and falls. We help carry the weight of their troubles. We can do this in part by taking them to the throne of grace. 

17. James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

18. Acts 1:14 “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.”

19. 2 Corinthians 1:11 “you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.”

God uses our intercession for our own spiritual growth

When we are faithful by praying for others, God will use our obedience to help us grow spiritually. He will grow and stretch us in our prayer life. Praying for others helps us to be more burdened about ministering to others. It also helps us to trust God more and more. 

20. Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

21. Philippians 1:19 “for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus and the Holy Spirit intercede for others

Jesus and the Holy Spirit both intercede to God the Father on our behalf. When we don’t know how to pray, or when we do a poor job at finding the right words to say, the Holy Spirit intercedes to God for us with the words that our soul is longing to say but is unable to do so. Jesus prays for us too, and that should give us tremendous comfort. 

22. Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

23. Hebrews 4:14 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.”

24. John 17:9 “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours”

25. Romans 8:26 “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.”

26. Hebrews 7:25 “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”

27. John 17:15 “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.”

28. John 17:20-23 “I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me.”

A model of intercessory prayer in the Bible 

There are many models of intercessory prayer in Scripture. One such model is in Genesis 18. Here we can see Abraham praying to God on behalf of the people of Sodom and Gomorroah. They were wicked sinners who did not pray to God, so Abraham prayed to God on their behalf. They did not believe that God was going to destroy them for their sin, but Abraham prayed for them anyways. 

29. Genesis 18:20-33 “Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.” So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.” Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.”

What should we pray for?

We are commanded to pray with petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving and for all people. This verse in 1 Timothy says that we do this so that we might live peaceful and quiet lives in all aspects of godliness and holiness. A peaceful and quiet life can only occur if we grow in godliness and holiness. This isn’t necessarily quiet life as in nothing bad happens – but a quiet sense of the soul. A peace that stays regardless of the chaos that ensues around you.

30. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we might live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”

Conclusion 

Above all, praying for others brings God glory. We should seek to glorify God in every aspect of our life. When we pray for others, we are reflecting the way Jesus prays for us. Also when we pray for others we are reflecting Gods kindness. And praying for others draws us nearer to God. So let us lift one another up in prayer to our Father in Heaven!