Do you believe that God has called you to be a prophetic intercessor?
Intercessory prayer is simply praying on behalf of others.
And when this is teamed up with a prophetic gift it can be powerful.
Prophetic prayer occurs when we pray with insights (prophetic revelation) received from the Holy Spirit. We may receive these insights during prayer, or pray about the revelation that has already been received.
We can all pray prophetically. However, a prophetic intercessor is not only equipped with insight from the Spirit. The prophetic intercessor becomes the vessel through whom the Spirit Himself prays.
‘In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.’ (Rom 8:26-27)
The Ministry of the Prophetic Intercessor
“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” (Ezek 22:30)
Anna is a Biblical example of a prophetic intercessor. She poured years into her God-given assignment of praying in the temple, leading up to Jesus the Messiah’s birth. (Luke 2:36-38)
It has often been said, that not all intercessors are prophets; but all prophets are called to intercede. And in the Bible, we see specific examples of those in a prophetic office. They took time to pray and intercede for those people and situations they ministered into. [1]
So if you have a prophetic calling, I encourage you to read and be inspired by the list in this article. Even if you do not see yourself as a prophetic intercessor.
17 Signs You May Be a Prophetic Intercessor
Following are some of the signs that I have observed (and personally experienced) in those who have a calling to the ministry of prophetic intercession. The first three signs are common to all of those who have a calling to the ministry of prayer:
- You believe that God has called you to pray and you love to pray more than most people do
- You place a high value on prayer and sometimes wonder why (or get frustrated when) others do not share it
- You have seen significant answers to your prayers
Specific Signs Related to a Prophetic Intercessory Prayer Gift
If you are called to the ministry of a prophetic intercessor, you will relate to some of the following traits:
- You tend to pray more at times when you feel urged by the Holy Spirit. You may know this as a ‘burden’ of prayer.
- Prayer is easy for you when you sense that the Holy Spirit has given you a specific burden or assignment. However, you find it harder to pray when people assign prayer to you as a task or give you lists and times to pray. (Unless you feel drawn by the Spirit to these).
In the past, you may have been intimidated by those who are ‘task intercessors’. These happily spend hours praying over lists! [2] However, God is calling you to embrace your particular gift and calling and see it as He does—highly valued and influential.
- You receive revelation from the Holy Spirit concerning what to pray and how to pray. You may receive prophetic insights concerning the situation you are praying about, to pass on, or to pray further into.
- You may be more spontaneous in the expression of your prayer gift than others who are gifted in prayer.
- You have a strong sense of intimacy with the Holy Spirit when you pray—and this fuels your prayer life.
- Travail is familiar to you—a sense of birthing the purposes of God—and you may have experienced wordless groans or weeping in your prayer times. In this, you can identify with Hannah (1 Samuel 1:10-13) and Elijah—who prayed for rain in the birthing position (1 Kings 18:41-44).
- You do not always need to have specific knowledge about what you are praying for. Sometimes you pray in the realm of ‘mystery’. (1 Cor 14:2) It is enough for you to know that the Spirit has called you to prayer.
- When you have a prayer assignment, it may feel as though you are personally involved and invested in the situation. You may have a sense of identification in the Spirit with those you are praying for. Perhaps, you feel what they are feeling, or sense God’s heart towards them, such as compassion, grief, or mercy.
- You know the ‘secret place’ of prayer. Your prayer life is often hidden, and sometimes not understood or appreciated by people. However, your reward is found in the Presence of God.
(As with all prophetic gifts and ministries, the ministry of prophetic intercession flourishes in the local church community and benefits from oversight. It is a temptation for those with a prophetic prayer ministry to isolate themselves, especially if they feel misunderstood.)
- You experience a deep sense of satisfaction in prayer—especially in being at the right place and time for your God-given assignment to pray on behalf of a person, group, region, or situation.
- You may be sent by God to be in certain places at particular times to intercede on behalf of a situation, person, or region, especially if you are a prophet-intercessor operating in a ‘prophetic office’ ministry.
- Your journey has been lonely at times. Even those around you who love prayer do not always understand the dynamics of prophetic intercessory prayer. You may have experienced some unusual manifestations of the Holy Spirit whilst praying (Rom 8:26-27), that others do not understand. (Note: It is very important that we focus on the fruit and message of the prayer, rather than the manifestations when communicating to others).
- One of your challenges has been to learn to fully release the burden of the Spirit in prayer—not to hold onto it. You have also had to learn not to personalize or hold onto the emotion that identification (point 11) can sometimes bring with it.
- You prefer prayer meetings that have some room for listening to and being led by the Holy Spirit in prayer.
(Note: This does not mean that other types of prayer meetings are wrong. Let’s always honor others who lead prayer meetings, regardless of their culture, methods, or emphasis. They are not wrong—just different from us)
The Prophet-Intercessor
The ‘Prophet-Intercessor’ is someone who has a five-fold ministry office of a prophet (Eph 4:11-13), and who also has a primary calling and gifting of intercessory prayer. As mentioned in point 14, above, a prophet-intercessor may be stationed or sent by God to specific places to pray and make prophetic declarations.
A prophet who is an intercessor will have a greater authority in prayer and prophetic ministry, than a prophetic intercessor. He or she may be used by God to minister through prophecy and intercessory prayer in significant arenas. These may include nations or regions, governments, education, business, and church movements.
Is Intercessory Prayer a Spiritual Gift?
Is prophetic intercession, or intercessory prayer, a spiritual gift? I personally believe so. The prophetic intercessor is graced and anointed to pray. One way of looking at this is to see prophetic intercessory prayer as an expression of the prophetic gift.
Our God who created the snowflake and fingerprints gifts His people in many unique ways. Those of us who are prophetic intercessors know when we find others who have a like calling, that we have found one of our own ‘tribe.’
Intercessory prayer is a significant ministry—and eternity will reveal the fruit and power of the hidden work of prophetic intercession.
Notes:
[1] Some examples: Moses intercedes for Israel (Exodus 34:8-9), Daniel for the Jews (Dan 9:3-19), Jeremiah for Jerusalem (Jer 14:20-21) and Elijah prayed for the drought he prophesied to begin and end (James 5:17-18)
[2] For insights about different prayer gifts, I highly recommend Intercessors Discover Your Prayer Power, by FEMRITE, T; ALVES, E; KAUFMAN, K. 2000. Ventura : Regal.
Prayer Warriors! The School of Intimacy and Prayer is Open
When I began to experience a significant anointing of the Holy Spirit for prophetic prayer 20 years ago, I did not know how to navigate many of the encounters with God I was having.
I saw miracles and breakthroughs in answer to prayer, but I also made mistakes and had a lot of “growth pains” as a prophetic intercessor.
Since then I have been a prayer leader, have been a minister on a prophetic team, and by God’s grace have developed in ministry as a prophetic writer and teacher.
Now I’m passionate about helping others on the same journey I’ve been on. And this week, a long-held dream has come to reality.
I’ve just launched the Enliven School of Intimacy and Prayer with the first series of topics, and I extend you a warm welcome to join me!
Currently on the Prayer School are self-paced video lessons on:
- Intimacy with the Holy Spirit
- Introducing Prophetic Prayer
- Praying the Mysteries of Heaven
- The Gift and Ministry of Prophetic Intercession
- Angels and Encounters
- Bonus mini-eBook on Prophetic Dreams
You can find out more or enroll in the School of Intimacy and Prayer here. Alternatively, you can view all online courses, including the Prophetic School, here.
More help for prophetic intercessors:
Prophetic Intercession, its Power and Pitfalls
8 Signs You May Have a Gift of Prophecy
8 tips For Personal Intercessors
© 2016 Helen Calder – Enliven Ministries: Prophetic ministry for a revival generation
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.
I had read a few places on this page. How I got here wasn’t by accident either. I didn’t realize the position I have with the Lord after what I have read, I am shock. This place with Him has been personal and in what He shows me and the discussions we have had also. I have had questions and haven’t had answers until now…I don’t know if I make any sense. I appreciate you sharing this page on the internet. It has helped me some what. thank you
Hi Charlene, your thoughts remind me that our intercessory prayer journey is personal and private, and yet there are others also sharing the same journey. It’s wonderful when we discover each other!
This article is like a drink of fresh water on a very hot day! This is the first time I could really put a label on the type of intercessor I am. I began over 20 years ago with travail during prayer. I have also had other outward manifestations during worship. I do feel a strong sense of the Holy Spirit during both prayer and worship. More recently, I have been in a prayer group with other prophetic intercessors, and I can see more of this gift coming out. God has given me prophetic words for people while I have prayed for them. I also have had visions or a picture to share with them. Everyone who I had been praying with has been dispersed, and I have suddenly felt the loneliness creep back in. I thank God for Lance and his 7munderground to help me stay on track. More on the loneliness- I believe the spiritual warfare is intense for us, and if not against us, then the attack is on our family and spouse. This is so difficult especially when they leave the relationship. But God will never leave us or forsake us. I feel we are difficult people to be around for someone who is living a double minded life. You cannot lie to us, that is for sure! Anyway, thank you for putting all of this into words. God Bless You
Thank you Ruth, I can certainly identify with a lot of what you are saying! Bless you. :-)
I identify with all the 17 points you have listed. Its like you are actually talking about me! I have been called to the office of the prophet and I’m also an intercessor. I have been given an assignment to a different country too. The thing is, for a long time I’ve been telling GOD I have nowhere to pray… This is because of the manifestations of The Holy Spirit as people would not understand. I’m also never satisfied at prayer meetings, because The Holy Spirit moves at His own time and phase. I usually have this deep longing to just lock myself up and pray to my heart’s content.
Yes I know what you mean, Sue. There are aspects of our ministry of prayer that we can only release fully in the private place with God. So true!
I am very grateful that the Lord lead me here. I didn’t know about any of this. After reading the above, I can actually relate. It had been a long time I did not understand why I could not relate to people. Since walking with the Lord from 1979 until now, I just did not understand many things clearly until now. It is wonderful to find people who are like minded and I don’t feel so alone. I love my friends very much but sometimes they think I came from another planet. My husband is use to me and actually my biggest supporter. He’ll even ask if the Father said anything to me about what ever circumstances we have going on. Just lately, we got promoted in a place we never had before and I don’t mean to be vague, but it is an awesome place to be right now. Thank you again and I look forward to check out more of your resources. I had a mentor, but we had moved 2,000 miles away and it was growing up time for me. It just so awesome to see the Father bringing everything together at His time. God Bless You….I barely got started in sharing…I love the freedom here.
Hi Charlene,
my husband is a great supporter too. We joke about that book title ‘Help I’m Married to an Intercessor’ (Eddie Smith) My husband reckons he could have written that :-D
I also know about the ‘other planet’ feeling, it’s certainly wonderful when you find a tribe of others who understand you – one of the things I love about our prophetic team.
Miss Helen, I’m going to be very honest with you. When I began my new life in Jesus in 1979, a whole new world opened up to me. I didn’t understand a lot things about Christians, let alone being one. When I met the Holy Spirit, I discovered another place new for me. Before I met the Holy Spirit, I was not a good reader. I couldn’t understand the bible at all. After I met the Holy Spirit, the whole bible came alive for me. I would talk and have conversations with the Lord, as though it was the most natural thing for being a Christian. My worship was very visual in seeing many things that I didn’t understand at that time period. I would share with Christians around me, but they couldn’t understand how this could happen because they didn’t have this kind of experience…long story short, I started to keep all this to myself but I would still have these experiences. As growing up, things change even my relationship with Him. I’m hesitant to share openly these things. I would hear people say how much we need to pray, and so I would follow what others had taught me and it was hard because I couldn’t understand what was going on…then I would go talk to the Lord about all this and not understanding and we would talk about subjects and share each others thoughts on the matter….Well, about three years ago, I had discovered something I didn’t know. The mentor person asked me a question what I thought to be prayer and this person already knew the kind of conversations I had with the Lord. I discovered I had been praying all this time and it was considered prayer. It was a big wow to me…because I was trying to conform by what others would say about prayer and be so frustrated because it just didn’t fit and I couldn’t keep up with it. I am one that doesn’t pray like everybody else. I can only follow what the Lord gives me in my heart. I can’t pray over something that isn’t in my heart. I gave up praying that way and stayed with my relationship with Him and didn’t think I was an intercessor, especially prophetic because I didn’t fit into the guidelines of who they are until I read what you have above…after all these years…pieces are fitting together…even after my experience I with this last election with Mr. Trump. This site to me has come at the right time and I truly believe the Lord wants to help me grow up more deeper in places with Him. Thank you.
HI Charlene.
Intimacy with Christ is paramount. Standing on His word is your foundation. Loving Him and others is evidence of your relationship with Him. These are tested, but the fruit is revealed through perseverance and the trials that follow. Keep it up. Expressions of God’s heart are released through prayer, and the peace of God is tangible evidence of the increase of His Kingdom. If it isn’t happening already, God will bring others to you to be a support in this type of ministry. Be blessed.
Hi again Charlene, I can totally relate to you about praying only what God puts on your heart. That is definitely my experience too. If it’s from the Holy Spirit, prayer flows.
Thank you for this article. I have walked most of this road for 36 years now, many of those years in isolation within my own church community, often not understood, often nearly taken out. But He is Faithful and now I lead a prayer movement within my own local church, and we are learning and walking in prophetic intercession which is greatly affecting the whole church and beyond. We know our place in the Body finally, serving on our knees, and with joy we see other parts of the church increasing in fruit, including souls saved and lives changed weekly. I am employed full time in a secular management position, and my wife also works full time. What a privilege to find a place of service in the Body of Christ that undergirds the ministry of the church. I have copied your article and intend to share it with our group of intercessors next meeting.
Hello Gord, I’m glad you have found the article helpful. What a blessing you are in the ministry of prayer. May you be greatly encouraged.
I came from a small community Church and I still wonder what gifts I truly have and how I need to walk in these gift. Once I was down in prayer at church and began to see a vision of someone with a gun I couldn’t make out who but I knew it was a male an female fighting in my vision I was as a ghost whispering in there ears scriptures rebuking dark spirits around I seen the gun go off An the female hit the floor I began to pray hard and weep an cry an press further into the spiritual realm then a second shot it was the male and as I started to rise a voice spoke and said he refused to listen it’s to late for him I continued to pray for her . By now my whole church was praying because. They realized I was in a spiritual battle of some kind . I ask God to reveal this I had no idea what had happened . The next day front page news was a man shot his wife then himself she stayed over night at the hospital with a gun shot thru her neck. Doctors were in ahhhh that it didn’t hit a arteries . I realized the women name an I knew her later I ran into her and told her how God had spared her she said as she laid there she could hear someone praying but couldn’t understand them. This isn’t the first time something extraordinary has happened I watched God raise a woman that had been pronounced dead on the seen of a accident back to life once again the spirit of the Lord had quickened me of a accident . I had no idea then it happened . I was there praying for her eyes fixed and dilated doctors saying she’s gone but I couldn’t help but continue praying knowing God would show up and he did . Now there’s church service when the holy spirit quickens me I can’t contain it I begin to pray in the spirit and singing there’s times I’m quickens and begin singing an praying this has brought rebuke to me by many to a point I’ve stepped back asking for someone to explain these things to me !
Hi Tracy, it sounds as though you have had some significant experiences!
One of the things I have learned is that when you feel a ‘travail’ (strong burden in prayer which could result in a commotion, noise or unusual manifestations) coming on, rather than bring it in public, contain it and take it to God in the private place. It’s a wise and loving thing to do. Many people would not understand what is happening, or it could distract them from what God is doing personally or in the group.