阅读经文 

我们祷告不是单为自己的事祈求便好了，祷告也应记念其他人的需要。因此，保罗强调说：“我劝你……要为万人恳求、祷告、代求、祝谢……这是好的，在神我们救主面前可蒙悦纳。”（提前 2:1-3）神透过代求——为别人祷告——来成就祂的大工。我们在神面前为别人祷告是大有功效的——而当我们需要祷告时，其他人为我们的缘故向大能的神的祈求，也时常让我们经历到祷告的大能。

亚伯拉罕接待的客人告诉他，所多玛和蛾摩拉将遭毁灭。亚伯拉罕知道，住在那儿的侄儿遇到危险了，他便恳求神，假若有五十个、或四十个、或三十个、或二十个，或甚至只有十个义人住在那里，神可否赦免那个城市？神说，只要有几个义人住在那里，祂也会赦免那城。

这件事显明代求是大有功效的。代求就像祷告者用一只手牵着这个有很多需要的破碎世界，而另一只手则朝向慈爱的神——它把人和神连结在一起。代求赋与我们一个与神同工来完成祂的工作的机会。耶稣是伟大的代求者，（参罗 8:34；来 7:25）当我们为别人祈求时，我们便与祂心连心了。

Prayer doesn't stop with making requests for ourselves. It reaches out to include others. That's why, with great intensity, Paul could say, "I urge …that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people… This is good, and pleases God" (1 Timothy 2:1-3). God works through intercession—prayer for others—to do mighty things. We can pray powerfully to God for others—and when we need prayer, with others pleading our cause before the Almighty, that can be a powerful experience.

Abraham's visitors informed him that Sodom and Gomorrah were about to be destroyed. Knowing that his nephew Lot was in danger there, Abraham pleaded with God to spare the city if even fifty, or forty, or thirty, or twenty, or even ten righteous people lived there. And God said he would spare the city if even so few righteous people were there.

This episode demonstrates the powerful impact of intercessory prayer. It's as if the intercessor has one hand reaching out to a needy, broken world, and the other hand reaching up to the gracious God—linking them together. Intercession gives us an opportunity to partner with God in accomplishing his work. When we intercede for others, we come close to the heart of Jesus, the great intercessor (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25).