Praying for Unsaved Loved Ones
Oh, how we want our prayers for our unsaved loved ones answered. But when we pray do we keep our hearts free from judging them? Do we forgive them?
Jesus Himself warned in the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not judge, or you will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged.” (Matthew 7:1-2 NIV). He also said, “When you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father who is in heaven may forgive you your transgression.” (Mark 11:25 NASB)
How easy it is to judge a person who is outright unkind. Especially a family member. We want to react with judgement rather than respond with love—which is supposed to be shed abroad in our hearts as Christians. Hard to do. But it is needful to search our hearts for any hindrances interfering with our prayers.
One reason for our intercession is because millions of people don’t know Christ.
You probably have some in your family who don’t. The Bible lists a few reasons:
- “The worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things… choke the word…” (Mark 4:19)
- Satan has held them captive to do his will. (2 Timothy 2:25,26)
- Satan has blinded them. (2 Corinthians 4:4)
- Unforgiveness. Paul forgave, “lest Satan take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2: 11)
- Not enough harvesters in the field. (Matthew 9:37-38)
Intercessors ask for God’s intervention on behalf of a person or situation, using the weapons in prayer that He has provided. Some include: Here they are:
The Word of God. The Name of Jesus. The authority of Jesus. The blood of Jesus. Praise and worship. Clap and shout. Joy and laughter. Fasting. Pray as led by the Holy Spirit and those with a prayer language also use it. Of course, Christ’s victory over satan is complete and irreversible, but we have a role in enforcing that victory!
I am sure you have discovered, as I have, that we need to continually pray for certain people in our life—and keep on praying. For years I prayed for an unbelieving aunt to come to know the Lord. A retired teacher, she had no children of her own, but she spent a lot of time telling the rest of us how to raise ours. Some in the family found it hard to forgive her and even harder not to judge her.
Our 94 -year-old Aunt B never let me mention Jesus or God in her presence. She absolutely forbade me to pray aloud for her. One day while praying, I got such a burden for her that I flew to Florida to see her. I stayed with a friend and asked her to go with me to visit my aunt. The first day I did not mention anything to upset her but inquired about her life and loved her. As I was leaving, I placed a book on her coffee table that I had written on prayer. And silently prayed she’d be curious enough to read a few pages—because it had a salvation prayer near the beginning.
The next day when I went to visit, I made no mention of anything Christian—but I was praying plenty. As I rose to leave, she followed me to the front door on her walker and announced, “I read parts of your book last night. I now have my reservation in the Upper Room.” She then pointed toward heaven.
Getting in the car, I asked my friend, “Did my aunt just admit she received Jesus?” We both shouted, “Yes, she did.”
On my third and final visit, when I asked if I could pray for her, she agreed. We hugged and cried as I had the joy of thanking God for her salvation. She asked me to send her more books.
“Now I know where I am going when I die,” she told my uncle. I called her fairly often after I returned home and prayed aloud for her each time. And I sent her more books. Five months later she entered heaven—or to her, she went to “The Upper Room.”
It is always too soon to quit praying for those who need Jesus!
Here is the prayer she read when she accepted Jesus as her Savior which I have included in several of my books.
Prayer “Lord Jesus, I confess that I’ve sinned against You. Please forgive me for walking in my own selfish ways and wash me clean. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. I believe You are the Son of God who came to earth, died on the cross, shed Your blood for my sins and arose from the dead. Lord, strengthen me to live my life to please You. Thank You for opening the way for me to be saved and to pray directly to God the Father in Your name. I rejoice in Your promise that I will live with You forever in heaven. Amen.” 1
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Scriptures: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. (John 3:16 NIV).
He has rescued us completely from the tyrannical rule of darkness and has translated us into the kingdom realm of his beloved Son. For in the Son all our sins are cancelled and we have the release of redemption through his very blood. (Colossians 1:12-13 TPT)
1.Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, Warfare Prayers for Women, (Bloomington, MN., Chosen Books, 1998, 2020) 246.
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