What Is Intercessory Prayer? Meaning, Bible Verses and Examples

Intercessory prayer is prayer on behalf of someone else: asking God to help, heal, forgive or bless another person, a community or the whole world. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it simply: “Prayer of intercession consists in asking on behalf of another. It knows no boundaries and extends to one’s enemies” (CCC 2647).

Christians intercede because Jesus himself does. He “always lives to make intercession” for us (Hebrews 7:25), and every Christian who prays for others shares in his prayer. Below you will find the Bible’s teaching, the key verses, examples of intercessory prayers you can use, and how the Church prays this way at every Mass.

What the Church teaches about intercession

The Catechism gives intercession its own short section among the forms of prayer (CCC 2634–2636). Its main points:

• Christ is the one intercessor. Intercession is “a prayer of petition which leads us to pray as Jesus did.” Jesus is “the one intercessor with the Father on behalf of all men, especially sinners” (CCC 2634).
• The Holy Spirit intercedes in us. When we do not know how to pray, “the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings” (Romans 8:26, Douay-Rheims; CCC 2634).
• Our prayer for others shares in Christ’s. “Christian intercession participates in Christ’s, as an expression of the communion of saints” (CCC 2635).
• It has no limits. We pray for family and friends, for “kings and all who are in high positions,” for persecutors and even for “those who do him harm” (CCC 2635–2636).

So intercessory prayer is not a way of persuading a reluctant God. It is love for our neighbor brought into God’s presence, and it changes the one who prays as well as the one prayed for.

Intercessory prayer in the Bible

Scripture is full of people praying for others:

Who	Interceding for	Where
Abraham	The city of Sodom, bargaining with God for the sake of the just	Genesis 18:23–32
Moses	Israel after the golden calf	Exodus 32:11–14
Samuel	The whole people: “far from me be this sin… that I should cease to pray for you”	1 Samuel (1 Kings) 12:23
Job	His friends, after his trial	Job 42:8–10
Jesus	Peter, that his faith would not fail	Luke 22:32
Jesus	His disciples and all who would believe	John 17
Jesus on the cross	Those who crucified him: “Father, forgive them”	Luke 23:34
St. Stephen	The men stoning him	Acts 7:60
The early Church	Peter in prison	Acts 12:5
St. Paul	The churches he founded, constantly	Colossians 1:9; Philippians 1:3–4
The saints in heaven	Offering the prayers of the faithful to God	Revelation 5:8; 8:3–4

Bible verses on intercessory prayer

Verses quoted from the Douay-Rheims Bible:

• 1 Timothy 2:1–2: “I desire therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all men: For kings, and for all that are in high station: that we may lead a quiet and a peaceable life in all piety and chastity.”
• James 5:16: “Pray one for another, that you may be saved. For the continual prayer of a just man availeth much.”
• Hebrews 7:25: “Whereby he is able also to save for ever them that come to God by him; always living to make intercession for us.”
• Romans 8:26: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings.”
• Matthew 5:44: “Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you.”
• 1 Samuel 12:23 (1 Kings in Douay-Rheims): “Far from me be this sin against the Lord, that I should cease to pray for you.”

St. Paul’s instruction to Timothy is the root of the Church’s public intercessions at Mass.

Intercessory prayer at Mass: the Prayer of the Faithful

Every Sunday the Church prays intercessory prayer together in the Universal Prayer, also called the Prayer of the Faithful, the General Intercessions or the bidding prayers. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal explains that in it the people, “exercising the office of their baptismal priesthood, offer prayers to God for the salvation of all” (GIRM 69). As a rule, the intentions follow this order (GIRM 70):

1. for the needs of the Church
2. for public authorities and the salvation of the whole world
3. for those burdened by any kind of difficulty
4. for the local community

The Eucharistic Prayer itself also contains intercessions for the Pope, the bishops, the living and the dead, in communion with the whole Church in heaven and on earth (CCC 1354).

If you write or read the intercessions at your parish, see our guide to the Prayer of the Faithful, our Sunday intercessions and daily Mass intercessions, and the answer to who writes the prayers of the faithful.

Examples of intercessory prayers

These short prayers were written for this guide. Replace N. with a name.

For a family member:

For someone who is sick:

For the Church:

For the world:

For someone who has hurt you:

For the dead:

This last prayer is the traditional Eternal Rest prayer. Praying for the dead is one of the oldest forms of Christian intercession.

How to pray for others

1. Begin with God, not the list. Spend a moment in praise and thanks before you start asking.
2. Pray by name. Naming people keeps prayer personal and makes it harder to forget them.
3. Keep a prayer list. Write down the names and needs people entrust to you, and note when prayers are answered.
4. Pray for what God wants, not only what you want. End with “your will be done,” as Jesus did.
5. Include people you find hard to love. Jesus asks us to pray for enemies (Matthew 5:44).
6. Ask others to pray with you. “Where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20).
7. Offer something with your prayer. Many Catholics offer a Rosary, a fast, a Mass or their daily work for a particular intention. See how to request a Mass intention.

Asking the saints to intercede

Catholics ask the saints in heaven to pray for us, just as we ask friends on earth. The Catechism teaches that the saints “do not cease to intercede with the Father for us” (CCC 956), and that “their intercession is their most exalted service to God’s plan. We can and should ask them to intercede for us and for the whole world” (CCC 2683). Asking a saint’s prayers never replaces Christ, the one mediator; it is the communion of saints at work. See, for example, the St. Jude prayer, the Memorare and the St. Michael prayer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between petition and intercession?

Petition is asking God for something for yourself or for others. Intercession is the kind of petition made on behalf of someone else (CCC 2634).

Does intercessory prayer really work?

Jesus commanded it and promised that the Father hears his children (Matthew 7:7–11). God does not always answer the way we expect, but no prayer offered in faith is wasted. St. James says the prayer of a just person “availeth much” (James 5:16).

Is intercessory prayer a spiritual gift?

Every Christian is called to pray for others. Some people have a particular calling to it, such as contemplative religious who devote their lives to prayer for the world.

Can I pray for someone who does not believe?

Yes. The Catechism says Christian intercession reaches even “the salvation of those who reject the Gospel” (CCC 2636).

Related guides

• Why is prayer important?
• What is the Prayer of the Faithful?
• Prayers of the Faithful: complete guide and examples
• Mass intentions
• Catholic prayers for the dead
• Catholic prayers: the basic prayers every Catholic should know

Texts and sources

• Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2634–2636 (intercession), 2647, 956, 2683, 1354.
• General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 69–71 (the Prayer of the Faithful).
• Genesis 18; Exodus 32; 1 Kings (1 Samuel) 12:23; Job 42; Matthew 5:44, 7:7–11, 18:20; Luke 22:32, 23:34; John 17; Acts 7:60, 12:5; Romans 8:26; Colossians 1:9; 1 Timothy 2:1–4; Hebrews 7:25; James 5:16; Revelation 5:8, 8:3–4, Douay-Rheims Bible.