Christian

Are You Praying for Someone to be Saved?

Cindy Dawson

Is your heart heavy because someone you love rejects Jesus as Savior? Perhaps he(she) calls himself an atheist. Or maybe, they just refuse to search for Truth and instead stand stubbornly in the darkness, clinging to “intellectual” arguments that support their atheistic beliefs.

If you’ve been praying for someone for a long time, don’t give up now. Be encouraged and strengthened by the promises of God.

Galatians 6:9 (NIV) says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” 

For a long time, I have been praying faithfully every day that Jay would accept Jesus as Savior. Becoming weary, my prayers have been reduced to “God please help Jay. I don’t know how to pray for him. I don’t even know where he is. You know, Lord.” That is the prayer of someone who is weary in prayer.

After searching God’s Word for encouragement, I was not disappointed. This is what I learned. It is not meant to be a “formula” for prayer, but rather, an encouragement that you are praying according to God’s will and being led by the Holy Spirit. So don’t give up!

Following Paul’s example, simply pray that he will be saved. “Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” Romans 10:1 NIV

Pray that the Lord will send Christian workers into his life. God uses people to accomplish his will. “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” 1 Corinthians 3:5-6 NIV

Pray that God will give him spiritual understanding and that the Lord will lead him to repentance. ” … in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” 2 Timothy 2:25-26 NIV

Pray that God will open his heart.  “The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul” Acts 16:14 NIV

Pray that God will give him spiritual sight and make His light shine in his heart, as He did yours.

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” 2 Corinthians 4:4 NIV

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6

Continue to pray with perseverance. God has called you to pray for this person. As you pray, remember to thank God for His love, mercy, kindness, and faithfulness. 

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” Colossians 4:2 NIV

“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” Luke 18:1 NIV

Pray with the knowledge that his salvation is God’s will.  

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”  2 Peter 3:9 NIV

(Where did we get the idea that God should be on our timetable?) 

Therefore pray, “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” Matthew 6:10 NIV

 Pray with confidence, remembering that our God is a God of mercy, love and faithfulness.

“The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power].” James 5:16 AMP

 Your prayer for someone’s salvation is most definitely a spiritual battle. Do not listen to the devil’s lies. Of course Satan will try to discourage you and make you give up. Instead, obey God’s Word and keep praying.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:10-12 NIV

From this study, here is what I have learned: God hears my prayers. It’s not that He isn’t answering them or that He doesn’t hear me. (The devil will try to tell us that!)

My “assignment” to pray for Jay has not ended. The battle is not over. In fact, I am in the heat of the battle. I will keep praying.

When I am praying God’s will, I know He is working even though I haven’t seen the final result yet.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1 NIV

God’s Word encourages me and strengthens my faith! It will do the same for you.

With Love, Cindy

Do you want to know more about Jesus? Check out my page Who Is Jesus?

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36 thoughts on “Are You Praying for Someone to be Saved?”

  1. Thank you so much for this beautiful and encouraging study Cindy; I am also in the midst of a battle for my family, indeed it is a war of attrition against the constant counter attacks of the enemy. I am sure there are many of us in the same situation, as the day of our Lord’s return draws closer we become more aware of the need of our loved ones to be saved into the Lifeboat.
    God bless you richly today dear sister 🙏

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  3. Thank you for this! I couldn’t help but feel encouraged as I was reading. I even flagged the verses so I can go back and read them again, and formulate a prayer for those I know God has been asking me to pray for, I tend to give up too easily, especially when I don’t see any change, but it’s not about me, it’s about the work God is doing even when I can’t see! After all, He did that for me, why do I think He can’t do that for them! Thank you again Cindy:) and maybe I will share my story with you one day

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    1. I would love for you to share your story. Maybe you would want to post it on your blog. If you do, please give me a heads up. I am so glad you were encouraged. That is my prayer. God bless you today, Mary! 🤗🙏

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  4. Thank you for this encouragement, Cindy.

    I am amazed how God uses our prayers: we know He listens and answers; this personal interaction is a blessing in itself; prayer can effect change in others; prayer effects changes in us.

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  6. It seems like most of us are praying for someone. Thank you for the encouragement. I can definitely relate to your sentiment of throwing up your hands and saying “God help Jay” because you don’t know what else to say. I know you pray for my daughter. I just prayed for Jay. Don’t lose heart! Great reminder to have on repeat!

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  10. Pray with confidence, indeed. When I took my worry about the salvation of a dear person in my life to God, He directed me to Mom’s in Prayer. There I learned to pray scripture for the needs of loved ones. God has it all covered in scripture! He builds my faith as I pray for others, and I do see miraculous results. The scriptures reveal to us our Lord Jesus Christ. Praise God! Thank you, Cindy, for writing. Your blog is a blessing to many.

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  13. Cindy, this warmed my heart. I am in a moment of despair because I have been praying for 2 dear ones so fervently and haven’t seen signs of answers myself. Thanks for this reminder that 1. I am not alone and 2. The God is ALWAYS working. I would appreciate it if you could share any encouraging updates on the situation 🙂

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    1. I have been praying for Jay for several years and nothing has changed that I am aware of. But we have to remember that God doesn’t always let us in on His plans. So I will keep praying and trusting God to work in his life. God bless you and guide you as you pray for others. 🙏

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  14. I just stumbled across your blog. I have been praying for three family members salvation. And fasting as well. I have wanted to give up because sometimes I don’t think God is listening. I’m also praying for marriage restoration. So imagine my own spiritual warfare, along with 3 other people and marriage restoration. I don’t think I’m strong at all, I feel weak most days. The enemy is the worse during my fasting. I just want to sleep and give up. I know it’s God word on the line, because nobody I know understands marriage restoration. They just think I’m crazy. But God restored mankind back to Himself so why is marriage restoration far reaching. That would say to me, God is a liar. But your blog helped me even while I type this post. I understand if it wasn’t God I would have thrown in the towel. This is a spiritual battle I have no experience in. Thank you.

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    1. I’m so glad the post helped you. Remember this: Just because you don’t think God is listening doesn’t mean He isn’t. He hears our prayers. He knows our thoughts. He loves us. Trust Him with your whole heart. God bless you, today!

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    1. I don’t think we can know what happens in the spiritual realm when we pray for someone’s salvation. In faith, we pray based on God’s Word. Then we trust Him. Many times we don’t understand or know what God is doing in that person’s life, and so we wait with patience. He is faithful! God bless you!

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