Praying for my friends, the lost and prodigals.
Updated: Oct 28, 2022
How many people can you think of right now, personal friends, colleges, family members, classmates, who do not know Jesus? What about your friends who have heard the word and known Jesus but have now walked away? Do you ever think what that means for their eternity, what that means about where they will go after death?
It’s quite a deep and sobering thought. The reality is that all those who do not know Jesus as their personal saviour are not just going to a godless eternity but are going to hell! Yes, hell, that’s a real place. In fact Jesus talks about hell more than He talks about heaven and describes it more vividly. There’s no denying that Jesus knew, believed, and warned against the absolute reality of hell. Okay, so this post is not here to scare you but its important we remember and know the reality of hell, which can burden our hearts for the lost. We don’t just pray for people to come to church because we want an increase in numbers in the services or we want more people to join our Christian club; we pray and intercede for our friends, families and for those in our city and nation to know the living God because we don’t want them to spend their eternity in hell and also so they live in the purpose and life God has for them. Our prayers for those who do not know God are prayers battling for the eternal souls of our friends and families, this can not be taken lightly it should be bringing us to our knees to fighting against the darkness for the lives of the people we care and love.
There was a college at my workplace, a young girl in her 20s, I spoke to her a few times and one day we heard the news that she had passed away. She was younger than me and probably thought she had her whole life ahead of her, yet she passed away just like that, suddenly and quickly just in a moment. This was a shock and many of our colleges were taken back. Then a thought occurred, where has she gone now? Did she know about Jesus, did anyone share the Good News, would I have been the only person able to share the Gospel with her? How often do I even think to pray for my colleges at work?
So, how do you pray for your friends, families, the lost or prodigals. I have fallen into the trap of thinking of practical ways and solutions to reach people for Jesus while not focusing on this in my prayer time. This would often leave me frustrated and annoyed when people didn’t come to church or give their lives. I even had friends thinking I only contacted them about church. We need to understand that there is a spiritual battle for peoples lives and this means that we need to be fighting in the place of prayer. We can feel frustrated when we try to change people’s minds or hearts in our own strength, but it is only through the spirit of God that hearts can truly be changed. So, we need to be in that place of prayer carrying that burden for those who don’t know Jesus or who have walked away remembering why we pray for them. “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Ephesians 6:18
Lastly, I want to leave you with an encouragement for those who have been praying for prodigals or friends and family members for years and are yet to see them come to know Jesus or come back to Jesus. This can be hard and discouraging at times but there is power in persistent prayers, don’t give up. “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16. Your prayers are powerful and this is a fight for life, so keep persisting, keep praying, keep fighting. God is faithful and hears your cries. He is looking for people who are willing to stand in the gap to pray for those who are lost, for those who need the hope of Jesus and for those going to a godless eternity. Will you stand in the gap to pray and petition for the lives of others. Raise up and take your stand as mighty warriors; lives are in your hands!
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