Praying for Lost Loved Ones

[kittylover0991]

I was in chat the other night and got into a discussion with someone... does it seem difficult for anybody else to pray for someone in say their family that is really close to them.. in the sense of salvation? I know for the past eight years, it seems easier to pray for anybody else to get saved, but my family. Any thoughts?

Crystal

[Guest Biblicist]

Kitty,

You posted this question before I got the chance to. [i have trouble getting to my computer on the weekends, when my children are home]

I have found this problem haunts me as well. And my husband. My father's family is mostly unsaved, and my husband is the only Christian in his entire family. We both have trouble praying specifically for our families for salvation.

When I am having my prayer time, I never feel lead to pray for them. Other's yes. I could pray for your family all day, Kitty, but when it comes to praying for my unsaved loved ones it's a real struggle.

It would be a help if anyone out there would share their stories about this and maybe give a few pointers. I actually had an atheist tell me once that I should be witnessing to my unsaved family all the time, if I truly felt that they were in the "wrong" in their beliefs. Why don't I feel lead to do that?

In His Mighty Grip,

Bib

[nebula]

A friend of mine shared with me how she was learning to pray - instead of, "Lord, please do such and such" - praying, "Lord, I thank You for doing such and such."

She shared the difference it made in receiving answers.

So, I prayed for the salvation of a friend of mine this way.

"Lord, I thank You for bringing [friend] to Your salvation."

She has since then received Jesus as Savior and Lord!

Try praying for your family this way.

[quieth3art]

I've searched and so far I can find no specific verses regarding prayers for salvation of family members. Maybe therein lies the problem - that we consider them family already when in reality, they won't be our true family until they are washed in the blood.

Yes, I would have a difficult time thinking of my son as my brother, but when I think of him as LOST... that gets me going. I can pray for anyone who is lost. Well, he is not lost anymore, praise our gracious Lord.

I pray to God that He will open the hearts and minds of all who are lost to His word and that He will use me to give them those Words of His which will lead to their salvation. I use the general term of Lost for those I don't know yet and then I name the names of those I do know who are still Lost.

[cjrose]

A friend of mine shared with me how she was learning to pray - instead of, "Lord, please do such and such" - praying, "Lord, I thank You for doing such and such."

She shared the difference it made in receiving answers.

So, I prayed for the salvation of a friend of mine this way.

"Lord, I thank You for bringing [friend] to Your salvation."

She has since then received Jesus as Savior and Lord!

Try praying for your family this way.

Amen to that nebula! Thank you for sharing. I learned that to pray by first in praising Him and thanking Him, being grateful and humble and allows for a more intimate time in repentence and then offering mh prayers for loved ones and accepting that His will be done no matter what I have prayed for, it is ultimately His decision.

I love your prayer and has given me a lift in knowing that by praying "Lord I thank you for bringing [friend} to Your salvation." It strengths my faith. And Praise the Lord for her salvation

[LightofJesus]

For nine years before my husband passed I stood on and prayed Acts 17:31

And they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house .

My husband did accept Jesus a week before he died and I am assured to see him when I go home!!!!

This is a promise and I believe in the promises written in the Word!!

[Guest Biblicist]

A friend of mine shared with me how she was learning to pray - instead of, "Lord, please do such and such" - praying, "Lord, I thank You for doing such and such."

She shared the difference it made in receiving answers.

So, I prayed for the salvation of a friend of mine this way.

"Lord, I thank You for bringing [friend] to Your salvation."

She has since then received Jesus as Savior and Lord!

Try praying for your family this way.

Amen to that nebula! Thank you for sharing. I learned that to pray by first in praising Him and thanking Him, being grateful and humble and allows for a more intimate time in repentance and then offering my prayers for loved ones and accepting that His will be done no matter what I have prayed for, it is ultimately His decision.

I love your prayer and has given me a lift in knowing that by praying "Lord I thank you for bringing [friend} to Your salvation." It strengths my faith. And Praise the Lord for her salvation

Thank you for sharing your ideas on praying for the unsaved. However, that is not the problem. Kitty and I both stated that we have no problem praying for other's unsaved loved ones. It's the ones we are related to. In my case I actually feel inhibited, as if I am too close to the situation.

Great idea nebula, I can understand that praying that way would give you faith that He may actually bring that person to salvation. But I would feel strange thanking Him for something that he may choose never to do.

Am I to understand that no one here, save for kitty and myself, has this dilemma of not being able to pray for their loved ones?

Maybe you are right, quieth3art, we need to stop thinking of these people as our family and only as lost. Maybe we are too "close" to them. So how do you separate the love you feel for a family member, mother, father, brother, aunt, uncle, from the fact that they are unsaved and in need of salvation?

"If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)

"He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." (Matthew 10:37)

In His Mighty Grip,

Bib

[Northern lass]

Biblicist, I have problems praying for my unsaved children because I can then go into a spiral of worry over them. I've found it helpful recently to pray scripture verses over them.

[nebula]

Thank you for sharing your ideas on praying for the unsaved. However, that is not the problem. Kitty and I both stated that we have no problem praying for other's unsaved loved ones. It's the ones we are related to. In my case I actually feel inhibited, as if I am too close to the situation.

I'm not sure I understand what the struggle is, specifically.

Is it a cognitive issue?

There's nothing in Scripture saying that being "too close" to a situation should be a hindrance to prayer. In fact, it ought to provoke you to pray all the more!

Is it a faith issue? Harder to believe the Lord will hear your prayers for your family?

That is what I'm learning with praying thanks. It is teaching me how to pray in faith. Don't get me wrong, I'm still learning! There are other ways to pray in faith, but this is beginning to help me, at least, so this is why I shared it.

Is it, as mentioned above, that your prayers turn into worry?

Praying Scripture is a great idea! (Northern lass, which Scriptures do you use?)

Is it one of those, or something else? What do you feel inhibited about?

Whatever it is, I'm leaning towards something Satan is lying to you about. (Not condemning - we all experience this.) But without understanding what you feel hindered about, it is difficult to address the truth.

Prayers!

[Guest Biblicist]

Yes, I would have a difficult time thinking of my son as my brother, but when I think of him as LOST... that gets me going. I can pray for anyone who is lost. Well, he is not lost anymore, praise our gracious Lord.

If I didn't believe the Lord would hear my prayers for my family, why would I believe he hears my prayers at all? Although, I do not believe He hears me as much as He hears someone more spiritual than I am, such as a Pastor. But I know that is just Satan telling me I'm not worthy to speak to the Lord of Lords.

I think quiet hit it on the head for me. I don't think of my family members as "lost". I don't want to. I love them so much, and they seem so "moral" that it is not easy for me to think of them as unsaved. My mother in law is a JW, not practicing, but she acts more like a Christian than some Christians I know. It's difficult for me to think of her as LOST. My father in law is atheist, as are my sister's in law. I think it's that I turn a blind eye to their sins because I love them.

Believe me this is something that I was raised with. My mother is no stranger to turning a blind eye to the sins of her children and grandchildren. She has covered for my nephew more times than I can count.

When I am in my prayer time, my unsaved family members names never even pop into my head. And if I do think of them to pray for, I get distracted really easily. I find that weird. Why wouldn't I think about them when I am specifically praying for the unsaved people I know? It's disheartening.