Prayer and Intercession: 1. Is There A Difference?

This series is looking at prayer and intercession and the similarities and differences between the two. It is difficult to separate them but essential to understand that there is a difference.

Prayer, as we have seen in so many of the other series so far is chiefly about speaking with God, having a one2one with Him, talking and listening; in essence knowing God through communicating with Him. In Luke 11: 1-4 Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray.

Intercession is a part of prayer in that it involves talking and listening to God, this is why so often it can become confusing because to this extent intercession is prayer. But it goes deeper and this is where the differences occur.

Intercession involves a standing in the gap, an intervention, a stepping in on somebody else’s behalf through prayer. Don’t get confused we can all pray for people when we are with them or when we are not but intercession goes deeper.

Intercession can be described in other ways such as: intervention, mediation, arbitration or negotiation. So as you may see intercession is talking with God about a certain matter or person and asking God for mercy or for healing or such things on their behalf, as an intercessor you mediate or stand in the gap for someone or something else. Over the next five weeks we’ll be looking at key Bible characters and how they interceded to God.

Sara Jukes

2003-09-29