Lesson 23: Prayer for the Queen

Read Esther 6

For three days and nights the Jewish people in the capital city prayed for Queen Esther. None of these prayers are recorded for us, but we can be sure the people were praying for her to know the right thing to do, for her safety as she went before the king, and for their own safety as a people.

Prayer of intercession is something different than what we usually pray when we ask God for things for ourselves, such as guidance, wisdom, daily needs, and so on. Prayer of intercession is prayer which asks God for something for someone else. There are many people who are examples of someone who prayed for others in the Old Testament – including Abraham, Moses, David, Samuel, Hezekiah, Elijah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. But the greatest intercessor in the Bible was Jesus, as He prayed for His disciples and the various people He met here on earth. And now, since Jesus returned to Heaven after His rising from the dead, He is continuing His intercession for us. We read in 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

This is one of the major reasons Jesus is no longer here on earth – He is in Heaven interceding for each of us who are His children!


How is intercession-prayer different from regular prayer? Intercession is prayer on behalf of someone else with a specific answer being requested. We cannot intercede for ourselves, but we can for others. This does not mean that prayer for ourselves is wrong – Esther prayed for herself to have the wisdom and courage to do what God asked her to do.

The value of intercessory prayer is that someone who is not personally involved in making a good decision about something can often see a situation more clearly than the person who is IN the situation. When we are the one in a situation, our prayer is often for courage or wisdom or guidance or deliverance. The intercessor can pray for God’s glory to be accomplished in the event in the other person’s life, and therefore often prays for faithfulness and peace for that person, so they will be able to stay with Jesus through the event.

One of the best examples of intercession from Jesus’ life here on earth is found in Luke 22:31-34 - “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Peter said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death.” Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know Me.”

Did you notice that Jesus did not pray for Peter to ESCAPE temptation? Rather, He prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail IN the temptation, even though Jesus told him he would fall to the temptation.

*When you ask others to pray for you, what do you ask them to pray?