In this article I’ve compiled more tips and resources for praying for your lost loved ones since I didn’t include them in my previous post, How to pray for your lost loved one.
Your eternal impact as a co-laborer in God’s mission began when you joined us in God’s mission. It also begins right at home.
Remember our 3-step process for co-laboring in God’s mission:
- Join God’s Mission Personally
- Walk as Christ’s Ambassador
- Make an Eternal Impact
Step 1 of being part of God’s mission is to Join God’s Mission Personally
● Love God and seek His Kingdom first.
● Start with Jesus’ prayer: “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done.”
Later we’ll discover more about steps 2 and 3 – participating as an ambassador of Christ and making an eternal difference.
Bible Scriptures about The Power of Prayer
Prayer is so important and powerful. It’s not only how you begin your journey in God’s Mission, It’s also how your family and friends who do not yet know Christ will begin their personal journey
Here’s some great Bible verses on the power of prayer along with how to pray.
Philippians 4:6-7 encourages us as believers to approach God with requests and gratitude, promising His peace will guard our hearts and minds.
James 5:16 emphasizes the great power of a righteous person’s prayers
Matthew 21:22: “Ask in faith.”
Mark 11:24 Ask in belief”
John 14:13-14 “Ask so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it”
Living your life as a Godly Example is a Win-Win
You know the quote,
“Actions speak louder than words”.
While there isn’t a single Bible verse with the exact wording “actions speak louder than words,” the sentiment is strongly supported by verses like 1 John 3:18 (“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth”) and the teachings in James 2:17, which state that faith without works is dead.
The point is, remember that your life is a powerful example, especially to those closest to you.
Ask yourself this question: “Am I a disciple worth reproducing?”
Our lost family and friends know us best. As John Maxwell famously said,
Success means having those closest to me
love and respect me the most.
When our family and friends see our actions align with our faith, they will want what we have.
I experienced this with my own father. He never professed to be a Christian or went to church, but at age 80, he asked me to baptize him. This happened after years of me living as a consistent example, sharing Christ when the Holy Spirit provided an opportunity, and praying specifically for him.
Living your life as a Godly example is a win, win. You not only win but it’s an excellent way to win your lost loved one to Christ.
Bible Verses to Pray Specifically Over Your Lost Loved Ones
Remember, God does the work, you join him as a co-laborer. Specifically pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare your loved ones heart to receive from God. Here’s the supporting verses:
- Holy Spirit guide me: John 14:26 / John 16:13: Jesus speaks of the Holy Spirit as the Helper who will guide believers into all truth and remind them of everything Jesus taught. This guidance helps believers understand and receive God’s word.
- Give him a new heart: Ezekiel 36:26-27: “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws”. This passage describes God’s transformative work in giving a new, willing heart through the indwelling of His Spirit.
- Pour God’s love into his heart: Romans 5:5: “And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us”. The Spirit helps fill the heart with God’s love, which fosters hope and a deeper connection to God.
- Give him a humble and contrite heart: Isaiah 57:15: God dwells with the humble and contrite in spirit, which prepares their hearts to receive His reviving presence.
I prayed these prayers for my dad and encourage you to do so also (just change out his name for your family member.
Matthew 6:9-13: “Your Kingdom Come, your will be done in my dad’s life”
James 1:5: “Give me the wisdom to share with my dad effectively.”
Ask God to Send Quality Christ-followers to Share Christ with Your Lost Family or Friends.
Here’s the prayer,
“God, send other Christ-like people to share the Good News with my dad..”
After all those years of prayer for my dad, God sent another man of God to share the Gospel with him also, and since my father’s heart was ready, he received Christ.
Just as Jesus had compassion for the harassed and helpless crowds (Matthew 9:36-37), we can pray as He instructed in Matthew 9:38 :
“Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
In everyday terms, ask God to send quality Christ-followers into your loved one’s life.
Here’s some more resources to help you pray for your lost loved ones.
See our previous articles along with these additional resources:
“Pray Like This” To Join God’s Mission- It includes an awesome video from the Bible Project which is one of my favorite Bible apps.
How to pray for your lost loved one – Make the Lord’s prayer specific to your family or friend.
Zume Training offers the prayer cycle in this training called How to Spend an Hour in Prayer
When you join our website, I provide you with an outline of the Lord’s prayer.