Recently someone asked about the difference between “prayer” and “intercessory prayer.” They questioned whether “intercessory prayer” is a specific form of prayer that is somehow more powerful or if the word “intercessory” is only used to make the prayer sound more serious, as if there is “praying” and then “really praying.”
To “intercede” or to make “intercession” is to make an appeal on behalf of someone, usually if they are in difficulty. There really isn’t anything more to it than that. Accordingly, any time we pray something for someone we are “interceding” for them.
From a biblical standpoint, the remarkable thing about intercession is that both Christ (Heb. 7:25) and the Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:26) are said to intercede for us. Now that is a prayer with some power behind it.