How Can We Pray for Our Unsaved Loved Ones?

　　Prayer is such an integral part of our Christian walk. But for those of us who are reading this article, who are not Christians or followers of Christ, let's answer this question first, what is prayer?

　　The Oxford Dictionary defines prayer as “a solemn request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity.” But according to the Bible, prayer is simply communicating with God.

　　Prayer in Scripture is more than just us speaking to the clouds; rather, it is us chatting with or talking to a Holy God and hearing Him speak with us also.

　　Prayer can be anything from praising God to thanking Him, but also a huge part of prayer is asking God to bless, heal or move in the lives of those we know or don’t know.

How Do We Pray?

　　“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6).

　　It is a marvelous prayer that covers most of our needs and our praise unto God, remembering first and foremost that He is not a distant deity but our Father, the one who loves us and cares for us. We are if we believe in Him, His children, His beloved.

　　Of course, as believers, we would love others to know the gospel and to experience this relationship with God, and so we are left asking today how, then should we pray for those who do not yet know God?

　　Firstly, the New Testament makes mention of us living lives that are like that of Jesus more than once, but one of those verses is 2 Corinthians 3, which says: “And as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, we become more and more like him.”

　　One of the ways we can exemplify or represent Jesus in our lives is by praying for others. Romans 8:34 tells us, “Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

　　Interceding is another word for prayer. It means that He is advocating on our behalf towards the Father. I firmly believe this should be the stance of every believer, firmly advocating on behalf of their loved ones.

　　Praying that God would intervene in their lives and that they too would know the love of God and accept Him as their Savior becoming adopted in the beloved.

　　God's heart for humanity is expressed in 2 Peter 3:9, which says: “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

　　It is important for us to recognize that God desires all to be saved and know in truth that prayer changes things. James 5:16 tells us that “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

　　Prayer is a marvelous privilege that we should not overlook, and we should be utilizing that privilege and right by praying for change in our loved ones.

　　With this in mind, our prayers should be frequent; we should be continually praying for the salvation of our friends and loved ones. We should be taking time aside from our daily tasks and focusing our eyes upon heaven, asking Jesus to move in them.

　　I believe our prayers should also be honest. Let’s call it what it is here, friend. Not always do we and our unsaved friends see eye to eye on religious matters, or on matters of social action, or evangelism.

　　It is essential that we remain honest in our prayers and not consider the action of prayer a tick a box saying all the right things to God. But rather being honest in how we feel, in our differences, and in our similarities.

　　Recommended

　　9 Ways the Bible Defines True Manliness

　　Jesus already knows how we feel when we come to Him, and it is important that our prayers reflect this. If the relationship is strained right now, ask Jesus to pour in grace.

　　If it is hard ground, ask Jesus to soften the ground so that the seeds you sow fall on good ground, and then water it.

　　If you do not see eye to eye, ask Jesus to take your holy blinkers off to be able to relate and understand where your friend is coming from.

　　If you are unable to talk about Jesus without it ending in an argument, ask Jesus to show you where and how you can be a faithful Christian when you cannot share the gospel with your friend. Ask Jesus to be the present one in the room when you are communicating.

What Should We Pray For?

　　But also, some of the following things are important also:

　　1. Pray a blessing on them and their families and their home.

　　2. Pray for healing for them if they are sick.

　　3. Pray that God would open their eyes and ears so that they may see the glory of God in their midst.

　　4. Pray that God would soften their hearts to be open to the moving of God.

　　5. Pray that their hearts would be opened so that they may receive the love of God.

　　6. Pray for holy compassion upon them and that God would be merciful toward them.

　　7. Pray that God would guide them toward the righteous path that leads to salvation and their willingness to walk that road with Him.

　　8. Pray a prayer of protection over them to keep them safe as they travel, as they do daily life, and from the works of Satan.

　　9. Pray for their children and spouse if they have those, or mother and father, that they might find love in Jesus.

　　10. Pray that God would bring other Christians into their lives also so that they may see a holy nation of Christians around them acting like Jesus.

Praying for the Unsaved

　　1 Thessalonians 5 tells us to pray continually, so Scripture puts a big emphasis on its importance; we even see Jesus coming aside to pray, and if he needed to do that, how much more do we?!

　　But it is an absolute privilege to be able to pray for your loved ones, colleagues, and even best friends, and as I previously mentioned, it is an action we should be utilizing more often. Taking our loved ones to the throne of grace in prayer.

　　If you happen to be unsaved and reading this, please know we are praying these things over you. I pray that one day, you will know what it is to be loved this deeply. I pray that you know the freedom that can be found in the grace and the mercy that is open for you to receive.

　　As always, if you need to speak to someone about something you have read, contact a local church. They would happily walk you through the topic.

　　For further reading:

　　What Does Matthew 10 Have to Say about Sharing the Gospel?

　　Does God Want All People to Be Saved?

　　Why Do Some People Not Turn to God Until Later in Life?