There is someone on your mind right now. Maybe a child who is drifting. A friend going through a divorce. A parent whose health is declining. A spouse who seems distant from God. You want to help them, but you feel limited by your own words and, honestly, uncertain whether you are praying the right things.
Intercessory prayer is one of the most loving things you can do for another person. And Scripture gives you something remarkable: actual prayers you can borrow, repeat, and make your own. Paul wrote prayers over the people he loved, and those prayers ended up in the Bible. They are not just historical documents. They are living words you can breathe over your loved ones today.
This article walks through what intercessory prayer is, why it matters, and gives you four ready-made scriptural prayers you can use word-for-word, starting right now.
What Is Intercessory Prayer?
Intercession simply means standing in the gap for someone else. You come before God not with your own needs at the front, but with another person’s name on your lips. You are, in a sense, acting as their advocate in prayer.
The Bible is full of intercessors. Abraham pleaded for Sodom (Genesis 18). Moses stood between God and Israel again and again. Paul wrote that the Holy Spirit “intercedes for us through wordless groans” (Romans 8:26). Jesus himself “always lives to intercede” for us (Hebrews 7:25).
You are not praying alone when you intercede. You are joining a conversation that is already happening at the throne of grace.
One of the most practical gifts the New Testament gives us is Paul’s own prayers. He did not just tell his churches he was praying for them. He told them what he was actually praying, and those specific, Spirit-breathed requests have been guiding intercessors for two thousand years.
Key Scriptures on How to Pray for Someone You Love
1. Ephesians 1:16-19
“I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”
This is one of Paul’s most beautiful prayers, and notice what he is asking for. He is not praying for circumstances to change. He is praying for the person to know God more deeply. That is a prayer you can confidently bring for any loved one at any stage of life, because knowing God better is always the right need.
The phrase “eyes of your heart may be enlightened” is worth sitting with. It is a prayer for spiritual perception, the ability to see what is true and real and eternal even when life feels confusing or painful. When you pray this over someone, you are asking God to open up their inner vision.
Pray this today: “Father, give (name) the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. Let the eyes of their heart be opened. Show them the hope they are called to, the inheritance that is theirs in you, and the incomparably great power that is available to them right now.”
2. Philippians 1:9-11
“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”
Paul is praying for love that grows in wisdom. Not just warm feelings, but love anchored to discernment. This is a powerful prayer for someone who is facing a big decision, a complicated relationship, or a season where they need to know what is truly right.
Notice the progression: love grows, discernment sharpens, purity follows, and God receives the glory. It is a prayer for character formation, the kind of slow, deep work that only God can do in a person’s life.
Pray this today: “Lord, let (name)’s love for you and for others abound more and more. Give them depth of insight. Help them discern what is best. Bring them through this season pure and blameless, filled with the fruit of righteousness that only comes through Jesus.”
3. Colossians 1:9-12
“For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father.”
This prayer covers so much ground in so few words. Paul is praying for four things at once: knowing God’s will, living worthily, being strengthened for endurance, and cultivating gratitude. If you have a loved one in a hard season, particularly one where they need stamina to keep going, this is the prayer to reach for.
The detail “great endurance and patience” is not passive resignation. The Greek word for endurance here suggests active perseverance under pressure, not just gritting your teeth but pressing forward with purpose. When you pray this over someone, you are asking God to strengthen their spiritual spine.
Pray this today: “God, fill (name) with the knowledge of your will. Give them wisdom and understanding by your Spirit. Help them to live in a way that pleases you and bears fruit. Strengthen them with your glorious might. Give them endurance when they want to give up, and let gratitude rise in them even now.”
4. Numbers 6:24-26
“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”
This is the Aaronic blessing, the oldest recorded prayer in the Bible. God gave it to Moses to speak over the entire nation of Israel, and priests have used it ever since. It is short, unhurried, and full.
Each line does something distinct. “Bless you and keep you” asks for both favor and protection. “Make his face shine on you” is a picture of delight, God’s countenance turned toward the person in warmth, not judgment. “Turn his face toward you and give you peace” asks for the kind of shalom that touches every part of life: health, relationships, security, wholeness.
You can speak this prayer over your loved one the way Aaron spoke it over Israel, aloud, with intention, trusting that God hears.
Pray this today: Speak the words slowly over the person’s name. “Lord, bless (name) and keep them. Make your face shine on them and be gracious to them. Turn your face toward them and give them peace.”
How to Actually Use These Prayers
Knowing these prayers is one thing. Building the habit of praying them is another. Here are a few ways to make intercessory prayer stick.
- Write the name. Keep a short list of people you are praying for. When you sit down with your Bible, look at the list before you start reading. It takes thirty seconds and reminds you who you are standing in for today.
- Pick one prayer per week. Rotate through these four over the course of a month. Praying the same passage multiple days in a row allows the words to settle deeper and become genuinely yours.
- Pray aloud when you can. There is something about speaking a name and a Scripture together that feels different from silent prayer. It is not more effective in any mechanical sense, but many people find it more focused and personal.
- Text or tell them. When it feels right, let your loved one know you prayed a specific scripture over them. “I prayed Philippians 1:9-11 for you today.” That small act can carry enormous weight.
A Closing Prayer
If you are not sure how to begin, start here.
Father, I bring (name) to you right now. I cannot fix what they are going through. I cannot see what they need as clearly as you do. But you know them completely, and you love them even more than I do. Open the eyes of their heart. Fill them with the knowledge of your will. Give them endurance, wisdom, and a love that grows deeper every day. And let your face shine on them today, even in the middle of what is hard. I trust them to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Intercessory prayer is not complicated. It is simply love expressed in the direction of God, trusting him to do what only he can do in the people we cannot stop caring about. These scriptural prayers have carried believers for centuries. They can carry your loved one today.
Related Articles
- What the Bible Says About Unanswered Prayer
- Bible Verses About Fasting: What It Is and Why It Matters
- Morning Prayer Verses: Starting Every Day With God
Want More Like This — Every Day?
👉 Join now. No fluff. Just Jesus.