TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (James 5:16b ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• When you have a loved one who has rejected Jesus and wants nothing to do with the church, it’s hard. It creates a wedge in the relationship for a number of reasons. And for the believer who longs for their loved ones to know Jesus, prayers can start to feel more like begging. It takes a lot to persevere in what seems to be silence. And over time, the temptation to be discouraged is very, very real. I’m speaking from experience—a present reality I’ve lived with for some time.
I know others share my concerns. We pray desperate prayers for our loved ones to choose Christ before it’s too late… or before He comes to rapture His church.
And when I think of being with Jesus, I admit, the passage, “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (Revelation 21:4a) isn’t comforting to me as I continue to wait for loved ones to choose. In fact, it breaks my heart. Because to wipe away tears would mean to wipe away the memory of my loved ones and that idea alone devastates me.
But I do take comfort in other verses and I want to direct this today to those who praying for the salvation of their loved ones. Please know I understand how you feel and I hope these verses give you comfort as they do me.
- James 5:16b, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” Keep praying. God does amazing behind-the-scenes work and He has given our prayers power.
- Romans 8:26, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” When you hit a brick wall of discouragement (and you will), and you’re too spiritually exhausted to pray about it (it happens), call on the Holy Spirit to pray for you. He will lift up prayers on our behalf when we ask Him to.
- Job 42:2, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” Even after all he suffered and lost, Job acknowledged God’s power and that whatever God plans will be accomplished. We need to embrace this declaration for ourselves. God’s will always prevails.
- 1 Timothy 2:3-4, “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” You’re not the only one who wants your loved one to choose Jesus! He wants it too!
- 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” God’s timing is never ours, so we need to trust that He is patiently putting our loved ones in circumstances to point them in the direction to choose. Remember—true love always gives a choice.
- 1 Corinthians 13:7 NLT, “Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” The greatest thing we can do for our unsaved loved ones is pray for them. And in love for them, we owe it to them to never give up. As we know from the thief on the cross, as long as there is breath, there is an opportunity to choose (Luke 23:40-43).
- 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” Y’all, we can’t stop. We have to pray, pray some more, and then—pray again. Again, and again, and again. God knows and He hears. We can’t stop praying on behalf of our loved ones. Remember, the angel Gabriel visited Daniel and said, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:12-13). I love this. From the first day we began praying for our loved ones, heaven moved. But we have a very real enemy who is fighting against God’s plans. So we keep praying, never giving up.
I hope these verses give you comfort and if you have some you want to share, please do!
Today, as you pray, thank God that He wants salvation for all people. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray for those who aren’t saved, that they will choose Jesus.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
