Where did the idea of praying for intercession come from?

Question

Do any scriptures talk about praying for intercession from saints or anyone else for that matter?

Universal Pants, we will have to check the family tree for sure!

jenny...it just doesn't seem to me like God needs any help answering our prayers. And since saints are dead and have no power, they can't help us anyway.

Answer 1

Fundamentalists often challenge the Catholic practice of asking saints and angels to pray on our behalf. But the Bible directs us to invoke those in heaven and ask them to pray with us.

Thus, in Psalm 103 we pray, "Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will!" (Ps. 103:20–21). And in the opening verses of Psalms 148 we pray, "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels, praise him, all his host!"

Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In the book of Revelation, John sees that "the twenty-four elders [the leaders of the people of God in heaven] fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8). Thus the saints in heaven offer to God the prayers of the saints on earth.

Angels do the same thing: "[An] angel came and stood at the altar [in heaven] with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God" (Rev. 8:3–4).

Jesus himself warned us not to offend small children, because their guardian angels have guaranteed intercessory access to the Father: "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 18:10).

Because he is the only God-man and the Mediator of the New Covenant, Jesus is the only mediator between man and God (1 Tim. 2:5), but this in no way means we cannot or should not ask our fellow Christians to pray with us and for us (1 Tim. 2:1–4). In particular, we should ask the intercession of those Christians in heaven, who have already had their sanctification completed, for "[t]he prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects" (Jas. 5:16).

the early Church Fathers not only clearly recognized the biblical teaching that those in heaven can and do intercede for us, but they also applied this teaching in their own daily prayer life.

Answer 2

Jeremiah 27:18, Prophets make intercession to God.
Isaiah 53:12, Servant make intercession for the transgressors.
Romans 8:26 &27, 8:34,11:2-4,
Hebrews 7:25,

Answer 3

The only intercessory prayer in the Bible is for people to pray directly to God on behalf of other people. No where in the Bible are we instructed to pray to anyone other than God. That is one of the things that protestants have against the catholic church. Over the centuries, they added many things that not only are not biblical, but contradict the teachings of Christ.

Answer 4

I've not heard of "praying for intercession". I've heard of intercessory prayers where you pray for someone...like a family member or friend. But I've not heard of praying for intercession from saints for anything...that doesn't even make sense to me.

Answer 5

Let's say you have an eye problem.

You pray to Jesus Directly and St. Lucy as assistance since she is a patron of eyesight. She actually had her eyes plucked out by pagans, and therefore if you have an eye problem, pray to God, and ask Her, to help you with the prayers.

Answer 6

The Bible teaches that there is a cloud of witnesses around us helping us to endure in faith. We call these witnesses the Communion of saints which makes up the three dimensions of the Church.

The Church Militant here on earth.

The Church Suffering in Purgatory

The Church Triumphant in heaven

We believe as Christians that we are to pray for each other out of love for each other as Christ commanded in His greatest commandment. tTe entire Church should pray for each other out of mutual love.

In Christ
Fr. Joseph

Answer 7

ROMANS 8:26
ISAIAH 53:12
HEBREWS 7:25
1 TIMOTHY 2:1
King James Version

God Bless You

Answer 8

It may possibly have its roots in the breakdown of the pre-Ptolemaic model of the universe, when the gods were beginning to be perceived as being distantly located in the supra-lunar sphere, and the introduction of "daemons" who could be bribed or placated served the purpose of the previous, more local gods.

Answer 9

Prayer is the practice of the presence of God. It is the place where pride is abandoned, hope is lifted, and supplication is made. Prayer is the place of admitting our need, of adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God. Prayer is the needful practice of the Christian. Prayer is the exercise of faith and hope. Prayer is the privilege of touching the heart of the Father through the Son of God, Jesus our Lord.
The Bible speaks much of prayer. But, sometimes, too often, we ignore prayer and seek to accomplish in the strength of our own wills those things that we desire to have or happen. For those of us who are too often guilty of this, we need to bow our knees, confess our sin, receive God's forgiveness, and beg that the will of the Lord be done above our own. God is sovereign and loving and He knows what is best for us and others, even if it doesn't always seem to make the most sense.
We so often come to the Lord with legitimate requests for healing, conversions, and needs and yet the answers we hope for often do not come. We wonder and sometimes doubt. Yet, we persevere and praise God. We pray because we know that God hears us and because we desire to see results. We should pray by faith, trusting God. We should pray consistently, trusting God. We should pray for healing, trusting God. We should pray for others, trusting God. We should pray and when our prayers are answered or are not answered remember this: If we knew what the Lord knew, we wouldn't change a thing.
Prayer changes the one praying because in prayer, you are in the presence of God as you lay before Him your complete self in confession and dependence. There is nothing to hide when in quiet supplication we are reaching into the deepest part of ourselves and admitting our needs and failures. In so doing, our hearts are quieted and pride is stripped and we enjoy the presence of God. James 4:8 says, "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."
I am reminded of another benefit of prayer: peace. "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus," (Phil. 4:6-7).
I suppose that we can test our prayer life and dependence upon God by the peace or lack of peace in our hearts. In all things we are to seek the Lord and in His continued presence peace will surely be our gain.
Prayer is the practice of the presence of God.

Answer 10

Jesus said that no man comes to the Father, except by me. That is, when we pray we are to pray in Jesus' name. There are no scriptures to support any other intercessor. Neither is Mary our intercessor.