Praying for the Lost

With famine, disease, wars, natural disasters, and chaos stalking the earth, the world is in desperate need! However, the world's greatest need is spiritual. The world needs to hear the Gospel because the power is in the Gospel of Christ. (I Cor. 15:1-ff). The point is that the solution to the world's need is in the prayers and outreach to the lost by Christians. The Lord has promised that if we ask, seek, and knock he will send the answer.

Here are a few prayer starters for your encouragement:

1. Pray a prayer of Thanksgiving…
a. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (I Thessalonians 5:18).

b. "… my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19).

2. Praise God for…
a. His faithfulness—“…his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” (Psalms 91:4b)

b. His mercy--"Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reaches unto the clouds" (Psalm 36:5).

c. His excellence--"Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict" (Job 37:23). (Also see Psalm 36:7)

d. His love—“Praise the LORD, all you nations, extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. (Psalm 117)

e. His longsuffering--"But thou, O Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth" (Psalm 86:15).

f. His name--"O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!" (Psalm 8:9).

3. Pray for workers:
Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest" (Luke 10:2). Pray for unity among brethren in order to when others to Christ. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1).

4. Pray for God to lead us to people to share the gospel; for people to come to us in search of the Lord Jesus.

a. “Call unto Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know”. (Jeremiah 33:3)

5. Pray for people to have open hearts for the Gospel.

“We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you…” (1Thessalonians 1:2-ff)