Ask, and it shall be given you.God never invited us to ask small.Timid praying is not humility.It is unbelief with good manners.We have not, because we ask not.Do you or your friends lack, hurt, doubt, or fear?
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not." 2 Peter 2:1-3
Heaven Has an Intercessor
“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”
Psalm 139:17
Have you ever had someone you deeply value tell you, “I’ve been thinking about you, and I’ve been praying for you”?
Those words can reach a place in the heart that few other words can reach. To know that someone has remembered you when you were not in the room, carried your name into prayer, and cared enough to bring your burdens before God is profoundly comforting.
Now consider this: the God who created the universe knows you personally, and the risen Christ is presently interceding for His people.
That is not religious sentiment. It is biblical truth.
If I knew that Jesus Christ were physically in the next room praying for me, I imagine I would walk into whatever difficulty awaited me with a different kind of courage. But Scripture tells us something even greater. Christ is not merely somewhere nearby. He is at the right hand of the Father, and He lives to intercede for those who belong to Him.
Hebrews 7:25 says:
“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
And Romans 8:34 declares:
“Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
What an astonishing reality.
Heaven has an Intercessor.
Jesus died for us.
Jesus rose for us.
Jesus ascended for us.
And Jesus intercedes for us.
The One who knows us better than we know ourselves is not indifferent toward us.
David could hardly contain the wonder of being so completely known by God:
“How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!”
Psalm 139:17–18 NLT
David was not describing a distant deity who occasionally notices humanity. He was describing the God who knows him intimately.
Earlier in the same psalm he wrote:
“You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.”
Psalm 139:2 NLT
God knows our thoughts. He knows our words before they leave our mouths. He knows where we go, what we fear, what we desire, and what burdens our hearts.
There is nowhere we can go where God ceases to know us.
And for the believer, that truth ought not merely to produce awe. It ought to produce comfort.
The God who sees everything about you has not abandoned you.
He knows the fears you rarely tell anyone about.
He knows the wounds you hide behind a smile.
He knows the questions you struggle to put into words.
He knows the temptations that confront you.
He knows the responsibilities weighing upon you.
He knows the hopes you have almost stopped praying about, and...
He knows you completely.
That can be terrifying if we are determined to hide our sin from God. But it becomes deeply reassuring when we have come to Him through Christ.
There is a difference between being known by God and being condemned by God.
For those who are in Christ, the gospel tells us that our standing before God rests not upon our perfection, but upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.
That is why Paul in Romans 8:34 has given such a precious verse to us believers:
“Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
Notice the foundation of our confidence.
Christ died.
Christ was raised.
Christ is at the right hand of God.
Christ intercedes for us.
Our confidence is not, “I have been a good enough Christian.”
Our confidence is, “Jesus Christ is a sufficient Savior.”
We Believers, Indeed Have An Intercessor
We do have a caring advocate and intercessor. It ain't Mary or any of the saints who have passed.
There is another reason this truth matters so much.
Scripture describes Satan as an accuser. Revelation 12:10 speaks of:
“the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night.”
The enemy's strategy is tragically consistent.
First comes temptation:
“Go ahead. No one will know.”
Then, when we have sinned, the accusation comes:
“Look at you. What kind of Christian are you? How could God possibly want to hear from someone like you?”
The temptation tries to lure us away from obedience.
The accusation tries to drive us away from God after we have fallen.
But the gospel gives us a better answer than either voice.
When we sin, our answer is not to pretend that we did not sin. Neither is it to conclude that we are beyond God's mercy.
We confess our sin and come to God through Jesus Christ.
The apostle John writes:
“If anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
1 John 2:1
Jesus is not an attorney helping us deceive the Judge. He does not excuse our sin or redefine evil as good.
He is our righteous Advocate because He Himself has accomplished the work necessary for our reconciliation with God.
Our hope is not that our record is clean.
Our hope is that Christ is righteous.
Our hope is not that we have never failed.
Our hope is that Jesus never fails.
Our hope is not that we can defend ourselves before God.
Our hope is that Christ has died, Christ has risen, and Christ intercedes for His people.
Hebrews 7:25 therefore says that He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to make intercession for them.
What a Savior.
The risen Christ is not finished with His people.
He does not save us and then abandon us to somehow keep ourselves saved by our own strength. The same Christ who accomplished redemption continues to minister on behalf of His people.
This does not give us permission to sin.
It gives us confidence to return to God when we have sinned.
It does not make repentance unnecessary.
It makes repentance possible without despair.
It does not tell us that sin is harmless.
It tells us that Christ is greater than our sin.
And that distinction matters.
A Christian should never become comfortable with sin. But neither should a Christian believe that failure places him beyond the reach of Christ.
As Paul says:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:1
That does not mean there are no consequences for sin, nor does it mean God never disciplines His children. It means that for those who are truly in Christ, the final judicial condemnation that their sin deserved has been dealt with through Christ.
The cross is where justice and mercy meet.
And the empty tomb declares that the Savior who died is alive.
So when the enemy whispers, “You have failed too badly to come to God,” Scripture answers with the gospel:
Come to God through Christ.
When your conscience says, “You have no right to stand before Him,” Scripture reminds you that your access to God is not based upon your righteousness, but Christ's.
When you are ashamed, do not run from the One who can forgive you.
Run to Him.
Hebrews 4:16 says:
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
That is not the invitation of a reluctant God.
It is the invitation of a gracious Father, made possible through His Son.
Jesus Is Not Merely Our Example. He Is Our Savior.
Sometimes Christianity is presented as though Jesus came merely to show us how to live a better life.
But the gospel is far greater.
We could never imitate Jesus well enough to save ourselves.
We needed a Savior.
We needed One who would bear our sin.
We needed One who would die in our place.
We needed One who would rise from the grave.
We needed One who would reconcile us to God, and...
We need that same Savior every day.
The Christian life is not difficult merely because it requires discipline. In the deepest sense, a life pleasing to God is impossible apart from God's grace and power.
Jesus said:
“Without Me you can do nothing.”
John 15:5
That is why Christianity is not fundamentally about becoming a stronger version of yourself.
It is about abiding in Christ.
We do not graduate from our need for Jesus.
We grow deeper into our awareness of it.
The mature Christian is not the person who has learned to live independently of Christ. The mature Christian is the person who has learned, increasingly, how desperately dependent upon Christ he really is.
And what mercy this is:
The Christ upon whom we depend is alive.
He is not a dead teacher whose memory we preserve.
He is not merely a historical figure whose teachings we admire.
He is the crucified, risen, exalted Son of God.
He sits at the Father's right hand, and...
He intercedes for His people.
So lift your eyes.
When you are tempted, remember your Savior.
When you have fallen, repent and return.
When you are accused, remember the cross.
When you are afraid, remember who holds you.
When you feel forgotten, remember that God knows you completely.
When you pray, remember that you are not trying to get the attention of a distant God, and...
When you cannot find the words to pray, remember this breathtaking truth:
Heaven for sure has an Intercessor.
Jesus Christ is there. He still prays for people.
The One who knows you completely loves His people perfectly.
The One who died for you lives for you.
The One who rose from the grave now intercedes for those who come to God through Him.
And therefore our confidence is not ultimately found in how strongly we can hold on to Christ.
Our confidence is found in the Christ who is holding on to us.
“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Hebrews 7:25
What greater reason could we (you and I) have to come to Him today? Lord, You and Your presence are what I long for most. Somehow I come to think I would make a good Lord for me, but I can't see like You see. I want You as Lord most, for me and for my friends.
Heaven has an Intercessor. And His name is Jesus.
Is There Such a Thing as the “Sin of Small Praying”?
WHEN THE NEED HERE IS SO GREAT, WILL WE PRAY SO SMALL? WHY?
When the problems surrounding the people we love or pretty much care about like at work.. are SO enormous, how is it possible for our prayers to remain SO strangely small?
Can we love someone deeply and yet pray for them too little, too briefly, too casually?
Can we become so distracted by the noise of life, so comfortable with the world, so spiritually sluggish, or even so accustomed to religious routine that we see a genuine need and simply move on instead of stopping to seek God?
The Bible gives us good reason to take that question seriously.
There is a difference between humble prayer and faithless prayer. Humility does not mean approaching God as though He were reluctant to hear us. Nor does faith mean treating God as though He were obligated to give us whatever we demand.
Biblical prayer does something far better. It brings our great needs to our infinitely greater God and trusts Him with the answer.
Jesus said:
“Ask, and it shall be given you.”
Matthew 7:7
He also said:
“If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
John 14:14
But Scripture gives us an essential qualification: we are to ask according to God's will.
“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.”
1 John 5:14
So perhaps the better question is not, “Am I asking God for too much?”
Perhaps it is:
But Kurt, I have prayed some for others. I brought enough of my life, and enough of the lives of the people I love, before the throne of God, and yet feel discouraged.
I get it, been there before. Can we start again by praying about not becoming weary in well-doing? Hilfe, Herr.
Timid praying is not and never will be.. humility. It can become unbelief with good manners. When you are weak or feeling discouraged, unnoticed and unloved.. then praying simple, short prayers for you and others in the name of Jesus.. is praying-BIG. His grace will be a big, sufficient and fitting response. Let's start there on our knees again.
Mature, growing believers keep talkin' to God about themselves and others.
They also talk to God about others, and they talk to others about God. And about Jesus, His Son.
Do you regularly pray for others? I mean, pray for their needs, pray they will gain an open heart to hear the truth. Pray they might come to the Lord soon, or come closer to the Lord? Do you pray for their loved ones?
Not every quiet prayer is weak, and not every bold prayer is BIG or faithful. Jesus Himself prayed with submission to the Father: “Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). Why not let the wisest Person decide ultimately? Father knows best.
Biblical boldness is not demanding our will from God. I ask questions a lot, but don't demand answers, feel I deserve specific answers, or get upset when His answers in the affirmative don't arrive on my timetable. How could I?
Biblical boldness is believing that God is able, bringing the request honestly before Him, and trusting His wisdom with the outcome.
We are invited to come boldly, not arrogantly:
“Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Hebrews 4:16
And James gives us a sobering diagnosis:
“Ye have not, because ye ask not.”
James 4:2
Yet James immediately gives us another warning. Sometimes people ask and do not receive because they ask with wrong motives:
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”
James 4:3
So the biblical invitation is not simply:
ASK BIG. BELIEVE BIG. EXPECT BIG.
It is something deeper:
ASK BOLDLY. BELIEVE THE GOD OF THE BIBLE. SEEK HIS WILL. TRUST HIS WISDOM. KNOW HIS SON WELL. AND KEEP ON PRAYING.
That is BIBLICAL faith.
What About Those People We Love?
Do your friends lack something? Was that from the so-called church-folk?
Are they hurting and/or wounded?
Are they simi or all the way confused?
Are they afraid.. or does anxiety totally shut them down?
Are they wandering?
Are they puffed up?
Are they trapped in sin?
Are they spiritually indifferent?
Are they facing circumstances you cannot possibly fix?
Then do not merely worry about them.
Pray for them. Now is Good. Holy Spirit, I'm going to pray in Jesus' name now -- please guide me in this.
You cannot control another person's heart, but you can bring that person before the God who can.
Get on your knees if that helps you pray. Walk while you pray. Sit quietly before the Lord. Pray alone. Pray with another believer. Cry if you need to cry. Speak plainly to God.
There is no prize for making prayer sound impressive.
The point is not to perform prayer.
The point is to actually pray.
Peter was in prison, and Scripture says:
“Prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”
Acts 12:5
The church did not merely discuss Peter's predicament.
They prayed.
That distinction matters.
WHAT IS INTERCESSORY PRAYER?
Intercession simply means praying to God on behalf of another person.
The Old Testament gives us repeated examples of God's people standing before Him in prayer for others. Abraham interceded for others (Genesis 18:22-33). Moses repeatedly pleaded for Israel (Exodus 32:30-32; Numbers 14:13-19). Samuel regarded prayer for God's people as a solemn responsibility:
“God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you.”
1 Samuel 12:23
Daniel 9 provides one of Scripture's clearest portraits of intercessory prayer.
Daniel had read God's Word and understood Israel's condition. His response was not merely criticism of his nation. He turned toward God.
He confessed sin.
He humbled himself.
He identified himself with God's people.
He appealed to God's character and covenant mercy, and ultimately,
He sought God's glory.
Daniel did not pray as though God owed him something.
He did not approach God saying, “I am one of Your elite prayer warriors, therefore You must do what I say.”
He prayed as a sinner appealing to a merciful and righteous God.
That is one of the great lessons of Daniel 9.
Intercession is not spiritual leverage over God. It is humble dependence upon God.
Daniel's prayer was deeply concerned with God's name, God's mercy, God's people, and God's glory.
That is the heart of biblical intercession.
CHRIST IS THE GREAT MEDIATOR
There is one distinction we must never blur.
Christians pray for one another, but Jesus Christ alone is the mediator between God and humanity in the unique saving sense Scripture teaches.
Paul writes:
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 2:5
And Romans tells us that Christ is risen, at God's right hand, and intercedes for His people:
“It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
Romans 8:34
This changes everything.
We do not pray to God through some human spiritual intermediary.
We come to the Father through Jesus Christ.
Our confidence rests not in the quality of our praying, but ultimately in the sufficiency of our Savior.
Jesus opened the way for sinners to approach God through His death and resurrection. That is why Hebrews can say:
“Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.”
Hebrews 10:19
What an astonishing privilege.
The believer who kneels to pray is not speaking into an empty universe.
He is coming before the living God, through the finished work of Christ.
WHO SHOULD WE PRAY FOR?
Paul makes the scope remarkably broad:
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.”
1 Timothy 2:1
Notice the word all.
Scripture gives us many specific examples and categories:
Those in authority:
1 Timothy 2:2
Gospel ministers and workers:
Philippians 1:19; Colossians 4:3
God's people and God's city:
Psalm 122:6
Friends:
Job 42:8
Our fellow countrymen:
Romans 10:1
The sick:
James 5:14-16
Our enemies:
Matthew 5:44; Jeremiah 29:7
Those who persecute us:
Matthew 5:44
Those who have failed or forsaken us:
2 Timothy 4:16
All people:
1 Timothy 2:1
Jesus did not teach His followers merely to pray for people who love them.
He said:
“Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”
Matthew 5:44
That is not natural affection.
That is Christlike love.
IS INTERCESSION ONLY FOR THE HYPER-RIGHTEOUS AND UBER-SPIRITUAL -- THE “SPECIAL” CHRISTIANS? (ARE THERE ANY OF THOSE AROUND?). NAWW, IT'S FOR US ORDINARY REGULAR FOLK.
It's for us who are busy working/serving too. It's for us who sometimes do or don't at all feel like praying. Here we should be careful.
The Bible does not teach that only a spiritual elite may pray for others.
There may be believers who have an unusual burden, gifting, or ministry emphasis in prayer. But Scripture repeatedly commands ordinary believers to pray for other people.
Paul told the Ephesian Christians:
“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”
Ephesians 6:18
He was not addressing a tiny class of professional intercessors.
He was addressing the church.
Paul himself asked ordinary Christians to pray for him.
He appealed to the believers in Rome:
“I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.”
Romans 15:30
He asked the Colossians to pray for opportunities to proclaim the gospel:
“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance.”
Colossians 4:2-3
And when Peter was imprisoned, Acts does not describe a special intercession department.
It tells us that the church prayed.
So we should not create a spiritual caste system that Scripture does not create.
Every Christian is called to pray.
And every Christian has opportunities to intercede.
The Holy Spirit Himself intercedes for believers according to the will of God:
“The Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
Romans 8:26
What humility this produces.
We pray for others, while knowing that even our own praying depends upon God's gracious help.
THE DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS OF BIBLICAL PRAYER
The Bible does not reduce prayer to one narrow formula.
The Prayer of Faith
James speaks of prayer offered in faith for the sick:
“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.”
James 5:15
Faith does not mean pretending that we know exactly what God will do.
Faith means trusting the God to whom we pray.
Jesus said:
“If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.”
Mark 9:23
Yet the same Bible teaches us to submit our requests to God's will.
Biblical faith trusts God enough to ask boldly and trusts Him enough to accept His answer.
Prayer With Other Believers
After Jesus' ascension:
“These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication.”
Acts 1:14
And the early church:
“Continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
Acts 2:42
There is something beautiful about God's people carrying a burden together.
Prayer of Request and Supplication
Paul writes:
“In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Philippians 4:6
God actually invites us to bring our requests.
We do not have to pretend that we have no needs.
Prayer is where anxiety is brought into the presence of God.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
The same verse joins petition with thanksgiving.
“With thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”
Philippians 4:6
Biblical prayer does not merely say, “God, give me.”
It remembers:
God, thank You.
Prayer of Worship
Worship centers our hearts upon who God is.
In Acts 13, the church at Antioch was:
“ministering to the Lord, and fasting.”
As they worshiped and fasted, the Holy Spirit directed them concerning Barnabas and Saul (Acts 13:2-3).
Sometimes the greatest thing prayer accomplishes in us is that it turns our eyes away from ourselves and back toward God.
Prayer of Consecration
Perhaps one of the most profound prayers ever prayed was Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane:
“Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
Matthew 26:39
That is not weak faith.
That is perfect submission.
Jesus did not deny the anguish of the cup.
He brought His anguish honestly before His Father and submitted Himself completely to the Father's will.
There is a kind of prayer that says:
“Father, here is what I desire. But above all, I want Your will.”
That is consecration.
Prayer of Intercession
Jesus Himself gives us the supreme example.
John 17 records Him praying for His disciples and for those who would believe through their message.
Jesus prayed for others.
And He continues to intercede for His people.
If we want to learn how to love people well, we should learn to carry them to God.
Imprecatory Prayer
The Psalms contain prayers calling upon God to judge wickedness, often in the context of oppression and injustice. Psalms 7, 55, and 69 are examples.
These passages must be read in the light of the whole counsel of Scripture.
Jesus commanded His disciples:
“Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.”
Matthew 5:44
So the Christian does not personally take God's judgment into his own hands.
We entrust judgment to the righteous Judge.
We can cry out for justice without becoming personally consumed by hatred.
And sometimes the most Christlike prayer concerning an enemy may be:
“Lord, stop the evil and rip-off from happening right here, save the sinner, vindicate what is right here, and glorify Your name.”
WHEN WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY
There are moments when the burden is so heavy that words seem inadequate.
Romans 8 gives extraordinary comfort:
“The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought.”
Romans 8:26
There are times when the best prayer we can manage is a groan.
God understands.
Prayer is not a performance graded on vocabulary.
You do not have to impress God.
You have to come to Him.
SO, SHOULD WE PRAY “BIG”?
Sometimes our minds, emotions, and personal history tell us what to think is possible with God, and then we limit Him. It's wrong, but we do this sometimes.
Listen, by “big” I mean we can bring our greatest needs to our greatest God (there's only One) with genuine humility, repentance, faith, persistence, and submission to Him. We can do that for our friends as well, and streach ourselves when it just seems way to big a need for God to care to meet.
No, if “big praying” means attempting to manipulate God into giving us whatever we want.
The size of our faith is not the point.
The greatness of the God in whom our faith rests is the point.
Jesus taught us to ask.
Paul and the original disciples taught us to pray and obey.
Scripture teaches us to persevere.
The Holy Spirit helps us.
Christ intercedes for us.
And the Father hears His children.
So when someone you love is hurting, do not merely say, “I'll keep you in my thoughts.”
Actually pray.
When a friend is wandering from Christ, pray.
When someone is trapped in sin, pray.
When a marriage is breaking, pray.
When a child is far from God, pray.
When a person is afraid, pray.
When someone is sick, pray.
When an enemy has wounded you, pray.
When your church needs revival, pray.
When you need wisdom, pray.
When you do not know what to do, pray, and...
When you have prayed once, do not assume you have finished loving.
Keep praying.
“Pray without ceasing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Prayer is not merely talking at God.
It is communion with God.
It is dependence upon God.
It is worship of God.
It is confession before God.
It is thanksgiving to God.
It is pleading with God.
It is surrender to God.
And, remarkably, it is also one of the ways God allows His children to participate in His work in the lives of other people.
DON'T JUST CARE ABOUT THEM. CARRY THEM.
Perhaps that is the simplest way to say it.
When you truly love someone, you do more than tell them that you care.
You carry their name into the presence of God.
You may not be able to fix their marriage.
You may not be able to heal their body.
You may not be able to rescue them from the consequences of their choices.
You may not be able to change their heart, but...
You indeed can pray today.
And you can ask the One who can do what you cannot.
So, friend, do not confuse prayerlessness with humility.
Do not confuse passivity with peace.
Do not confuse religious language with communion with God.
And do not imagine that because you cannot do everything, you can do nothing.
You can pray.
You can kneel.
You can worship.
You can confess.
You can ask.
You can intercede.
You can give thanks.
You can surrender.
You can keep bringing that person before the throne of grace.
And when you do, remember who sits upon that throne.
Not you.
God.
That is why prayer can be both humble and audacious.
We come with empty hands, but we come to an Almighty Father.
We bring imperfect words, but we come through a perfect Mediator.
We do not know the future, but God does.
We cannot control the answer, but we can trust the One who gives it. Therefore...
Pray faithfully.
Pray fervently.
Pray humbly.
Pray persistently.
Pray according to God's Word.
Pray according to God's will.
Pray for yourself.
Pray for your family.
Pray for your friends.
Pray for your enemies.
Pray for the lost.
Pray for the church.
Pray for those who preach the gospel.
Pray for those who govern.
Pray for those who are suffering.
Pray when you know exactly what to say, and...
Pray when you don't.
Because ultimately, prayer is not about how impressive our words are.
It is about how great our God is.
And perhaps one of the most loving things you can ever say to another human being is not merely,
“I care about you.”
It is:
“I am going to carry you to Jesus in prayer.”
Romans 8:26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
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.
Romans 8:34
Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Ephesians 6:18
Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
Isaiah 59:16
He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him.
Isaiah 53:12
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
1 Timothy 2:1-2
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
Matthew 5:44
But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
1 Timothy 2:5
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
James 5:16
Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Psalm 106:23
Therefore he said he would destroy them— had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him, to turn away his wrath from destroying them.
Matthew 18:19-20
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
Acts 12:5
So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
Ezekiel 22:30
And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.
Job 42:10
And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.
Ezekiel 22:31
Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.
Luke 23:34
And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments.
Luke 22:32
But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.
Joel 2:17
Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
