Praying for the Lost
The salvation that we have experienced where our sins have been forgiven and we have been declared right with God, is a decisive act of the Holy Spirit, and most of us who have experienced salvation would say that we want our loved ones to join us in knowing Jesus. Since we know that God moves in and through the prayers of his people, the first step in leading those we care about to Jesus should be prayer. But how do we pray for a person’s salvation? Let’s look at four biblical examples to guide us.
Ask God to Draw Them
First, pray for God to draw them. Jesus said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.” (John 6:44) Since coming to Jesus requires that we be drawn by the Father, we should plead with God to do this for those we desire to be saved. This is the starting point for every person who has ever been saved or will ever be saved.
Ask God to Destroy Strongholds
Second, pray for God to destroy strongholds. Consider these verses in 2 Corinthians 10.
““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.” ”
As God draws a person to himself there may be obstacles in the way. These strongholds are deep set opinions of the mind and heart that keep us from coming to God. Since prayer is one of the weapons in our spiritual arsenal, we should pray that God would destroy these opinions and remove any hindrances a person may have in responding to the gospel.
Ask God to Grant them Repentance
Third, pray for God to grant them repentance. This may seem strange to some since repentance is part of our proper response to the gospel. However, speaking of a person caught in the snare of the devil, Paul says, “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape.” (2 Timothy 2:25-26) If repentance is something God can grant then we should petition that he grant it to those we care about.
Ask God to Enlighten their Hearts
Finally, pray for God to enlighten their hearts. In 2 Corinthians, Paul describes the spiritual condition of those who don’t know Jesus as having blinded minds and darkened hearts. The only way they can see the glory of God is if God removes the blinders from their eyes and shines light into their dark hearts. Here is what we read.
“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
This is what it looks like for a person to be saved. They see the glory of God! And notice where they see it. In the face of Jesus Christ. In the light of the gospel. The glory of God is revealed in Jesus. That’s why we should pray earnestly for those who haven’t seen Jesus that God would draw them to Jesus, that God would destroy strongholds raised against Jesus, that God would grant them repentance so they turn to Jesus and that God will enlighten their hearts so they can see his glory in Jesus.
