Small Group Intercessory Prayer Guidelines
Practical principles for Spirit-led, focused, and fruitful times of intercession.
Intercessory prayer groups, whether in a church or home setting, can be exciting, vibrant times of partnering with God. As you pray together, expect to see Jesus at work in your world, your nation, your city, your church, and your homes.
Coming together with a small group devoted to prayer can be both fruitful and effective. It can also be an experience you eagerly look foward to as a team as you see God move powerfully through your collective intercession.
If your group grows beyond eight people, consider dividing into smaller groups, even within the same meeting. The following guidelines will help your team pray with greater unity, purpose, and expectancy.
Appoint a Leader
If your group meets regularly, it is a good idea to rotate the leadership from time to time. In an intercessory prayer group, the leader is not expected to do all the praying, nor are they there to teach. Their role is simply to facilitate the prayer time by:
Ensuring the guidelines are followed.
Reminding the group that they have gathered to pray for the needs of others.
Making sure each prayer topic is thoroughly covered before moving to the next.
Opening and closing the meeting in prayer.
Keeping the meeting on schedule. Most intercessory prayer times, including worship, should last between 60 and 90 minutes.
Appoint a Scribe
Like the leader, the role of scribe should rotate among the members of the group. The scribe should:
Record the date.
Write prayer requests in a notebook that is kept in the same place each week so it is easy to find.
Record answered prayers. Looking back over weeks and months of answered prayer is a tremendous encouragement.
Summarize significant Scriptures, impressions, pictures, and key points that arise during the prayer time.
Record the name of the person who shared those impressions for future reference.
Begin with Thanksgiving
If possible, begin with a couple of worship songs that help focus your hearts on the Lord and prepare you for intercession. At the very least, spend a few moments praising God for who He is and thanking Him for the privilege of bringing these prayer needs before Him.
Hebrews 7:25
”…He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Take a few moments to thank God for the privilege of partnering with Him in the affairs of men through prayer.
Ask the Lord to Search Your Heart
Before you begin praying, ask the Lord to search your heart for any unconfessed sin that could hinder your fellowship with Him or your ability to hear His voice. Be quick to confess whatever He reveals and receive His forgiveness.
Unless the Lord highlights something that concerns the entire group, this is not the time for a group confession. Don’t dwell on this point, and don’t be concerned if nothing immediately comes to mind.
Psalm 66:18
“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
Psalm 139:23–24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”
Lay Down Your Own Assumptions and Expectations
Remind yourself that you do not know everything—but God does.
Before you begin praying, lay down your own assumptions, expectations, and ideas about how the prayer time should unfold. Be willing to release even the prayer requests you felt were most important if the Holy Spirit leads your group in a different direction.
Submit your mind and imagination to the Lord, trusting His wisdom above your own.
Proverbs 3:5–6
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Proverbs 28:26
“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.”
Isaiah 55:8
”‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the Lord.”
2 Corinthians 10:3–5
“For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.”
Submit to God and Resist the Enemy
Ask the Lord for His protection as you pray, and take proper authority over the enemy.
Remind yourself of your position in Christ. Resist the enemy in the all-powerful name of Jesus, standing on the authority of God’s Word.
James 4:7
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Deal firmly with the enemy, but don’t give him any more attention than he deserves.
Then praise God in advance, expecting Him to speak. He is faithful, and He will always act in a manner consistent with His character.
Wait on the Lord in Silence
Take three or four minutes to wait quietly before the Lord. Wait with the expectation that He will speak.
John 10:27
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”
Psalm 62:5
“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.”
Micah 7:7
“But as for me, I will look to the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.”
Because you have submitted your own thoughts and expectations to the Lord and resisted the enemy, have faith that the impressions He brings to your heart and mind during this time of waiting are from Him. Receive them with humility and be willing to share them with the group for prayerful discernment.
Share What You Receive
After a few minutes, the leader should invite each person to share what they sensed during the time of waiting. If someone did not receive anything, they should feel completely free to say so.
If a common theme does not seem to emerge, return to silent prayer and ask the Lord to bring greater clarity. Sometimes seemingly unrelated impressions fit together, and as you wait, the Lord will reveal the connection.
Always keep your Bible close at hand.
Psalm 119:105
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”
Pray Believing
Pray each prayer item through before moving on to the next.
Avoid vague prayers that simply ask God to “bless” a situation. Be specific. Pray boldly for the wisdom, provision, healing, protection, or breakthrough that is needed. God invites us to come to Him as His children, confidently asking for what we need.
Keep your spoken prayers focused and concise. This isn’t the time to preach a sermon or disguise political opinions as intercession. Long-winded prayers make it difficult for others to stay engaged. Long-windedness is not a fruit of the Spirit.
Pray with faith, authority, and clarity, leaving room for others to contribute. Their perspective may be just as important as your own.
The leader is responsible for guiding the group from one prayer topic to the next. Don’t move on until you have given the Lord time to accomplish all He wants to do regarding that burden. Resist the temptation to bounce back and forth between prayer requests. If the room settles into a prolonged silence, it is often a good indication that it is time to move to the next item.
End with Thanksgiving
When you sense that your group has thoroughly covered the prayer topics before you, finish by praising and thanking God for what He has done.
Ask the Lord to remove any burdens that you are not meant to carry beyond the prayer meeting. Leave them with Him.
Close your time together with a worship song, followed by prayers of thanksgiving for all God has accomplished. Thank Him that He has heard your prayers, that He has spoken, and that His will is being accomplished.
If you are looking for an example of how to pray with specific intention, here are some prayer pointers I wrote during a time of great international conflict where groups of terrorists were sweeping across Africa and the Middle East.
A Note of Thanks
I owe a great debt of gratitude to Joy Dawson of Youth With A Mission, whose teaching transformed intercessory prayer groups around the world.
These guidelines grew from notes I took during my Discipleship Training School in 1981. Over the decades, I have expanded those notes with additional Scriptures, practical application, and lessons learned through years of leading and participating in prayer groups.
Any value this article has owes much to the biblical foundations Joy helped establish. I remain deeply grateful for her influence on my prayer life and ministry.
©2026 Katherine (Kath) Walden