Priorities In Prayer

I heard a story about a woman who spent all day in a hot kitchen preparing a five course meal for some out of town guests. It was summer, it was 100 degrees outside; it was probably 120 in that kitchen. She worked hard, and everything turned out great.

When everybody sat down to eat, this woman asked her six year old son to say a prayer for the meal. The boy was scared; he wasn’t sure how to pray in front of company. Fortunately, his mother had been teaching him some new bedtime prayers. She spoke up and said, “It’s OK. Just pray one of the prayers you’ve heard from me.”

The young child thought for a moment. Then his eyes lit up. He folded his hands and bowed his head. Everybody did the same. He prayed, in a loud voice: “Dear God! You know that this day is already ruined by my obligation to feed those ungrateful people; why did you make the weather so hot?”

We all have people on our prayer list. People that we are interceding for and people that are heavy on our hearts. We could divide those prayer lists into groups in a few different ways- family and friends- physical needs, spiritual needs, financial needs- immediate needs, and more fluid needs. There are a lot of ways we can slice it. But today I want to make a single division along your prayer list and look at the people and things on it in only 2 categories- followers of Jesus and non-followers of Jesus. Because today I want to talk to you about the priorities we should have when praying for those who do not know the Lord.

After all, we all have people on our hearts that do not know the Lord. Sure, they may need financial help, or their marriage may need some work, they may have a surgery coming up, or any multitude of things, but those things should not be our number one priority in prayer. Our priority in prayer should alway be that they come to fully know God and become a follower of Christ- then everything else will start to fall into place. Let me give you 2 examples of what I am talking about in Scripture.

In Jesus says that his sheep know his voice. Animals are funny creatures, aren’t they? Most of you that have been to our house have met Bentley our long legged, energetic family dog. I will tell you Bentley is one the most loyal, well behaved, obedient dogs I know- to me and Jessica. We are his masters, and he listens to us. Jessica and I say sit, and he sits, we say lay and he lays, he shakes our hands, comes when we call, and we can merely say let’s get in the car and he goes to the car. But if most of you came to our house and tried to give him direction he probably would not listen to you. Even if I told him that you were coming and were going to help him- he most likely is not going to listen to a person he does not know.

Many of us are praying that sheep that do not know Jesus would know his voice, and Jesus assures us that is not how things work. “Jesus save their marriage” we pray or “Jesus, give them grace and the courage to forgive” and Jesus says “I am trying to instruct them, but they don’t hear a word I am saying.” Instead, our prayers should be about that person coming into relationship with God and learning to hear the voice of the good shepherd.

Now, consider what Paul says in . Have you ever been to a foreign country? I have been to a few. A few years ago when a group of us went to Haiti Pastor Geordanny took Greg and I to the Market- or as we like to call it Haitian Walmart. There are hundreds of people roaming around about a half acre selling and buying- people are hustling and bustling and all of it is in Haitian Creole- we couldn’t understand a word! A Haitian could stand there and talk to me all day and I wouldn’t catch a single word- because we are not talking the same language. Paul says it is the same when we talk to an unbeliever about the things of Jesus.

So, today I want to offer some prayer that are based in Scripture that we can and should pray when praying for unbelieving friends and family. 3 of these prayers are for them, and 3 are for you.

Pray over them- In God says that he will replace their heart of stone- a hard, cold, resistant heart- and replace it with a heart of flesh- soft, pliable, and relational. Many of our family and friends have developed a heart that is resistant to the Gospel. You can preach and preach to them, but their heart is hard. Therefore, our prayers need to be against this kind of heart, asking God to soften it. Otherwise its like water on a stone- the water may make it a little wet, but it will not change it. Instead, we want the people we love to have a heart like a sponge- able to absorb the word of God.

Pray over them- As Christians we all have 2 natures in us- our sinful nature, and the Spirit of God. The problem for some people is that even though they once said yes to Jesus, they have never allowed themselves to be set free from the influence of Satan. Their own sin and the works of Satan have placed binders over their eyes and they cannot see the light of Christ. They are so trained to only view this world through the snares of Satan that nothing else makes sense to them. In this case, we need to pray that Satan’s influence be lifted from them and that they are able to see the light of Christ.

I would like to share with you another letter, this one written by Twisttape to his apprentice Harshwood as they discuss his training and graduation from devil’s school.

I would like to share with you another letter, this one written by Twisttape to his apprentice Harshwood as they discuss his training and graduation from devil’s school.

The letter begins:

Dear Harshwood,

The letter begins:

I have read the notices that you are about to graduate and begin your work on earth. Glad to hear that your training went well. I see that you will be a graduate with honors. Splendid!

Dear Harshwood,

Apply all of your knowledge to the task at hand, for the enemy, the Prince of Peace, God of Love is a resourceful enemy. Just when you think you have him in your grasp or one of this people, he pulls a trick and low and behold you stand empty, you lost your soul for the fires of hell.

I would like to give you one piece of advice, one bit of wisdom as you begin your tour of duty in the enemy’s camp. Throughout my tour of duty, I have learned one thing about these humans which I feel can be so very useful for you.

I have read the notices that you are about to graduate and begin your work on earth. Glad to hear that your training went well. I see that you will be a graduate with honors. Splendid!

Humans usually have a very high regard for themselves. They think they are pretty good. They can see the faults, the sins, the evil in another, but they see only good in themselves.

Apply all of your knowledge to the task at hand, for the enemy, the Prince of Peace, God of Love is a resourceful enemy. Just when you think you have him in your grasp or one of this people, he pulls a trick and low and behold you stand empty, you lost your soul for the fires of hell.

My advice to you my dear Harshwood, is to encourage that thinking. Encourage it for all its worth.

The chief antagonizer, that Christ fellow, wants the humans to see their own sins, but Harshwood, blind their eyes, their hearts, their souls to that revelation. Let them think only of the good in themselves, and you, may dear friend Harshwood, will meet your quota of human beings who will spend the rest of their lives with our master, the lord of the heat and fire, Master Satan.

I would like to give you one piece of advice, one bit of wisdom as you begin your tour of duty in the enemy’s camp. Throughout my tour of duty, I have learned one thing about these humans which I feel can be so very useful for you.

Let them see that when repentance is called for it is not them who needs to repent. Let them see over and over again that they are really better than the guy next to them in the pew. When the pastor reads about John the Baptist, let them fall asleep, turn to other thoughts, so they will not realize that it is them John is talking to. Let them see that they are indeed really pretty good, no need for repentance, no need for forgiveness, and then you will have them. You will have them because they will see that they do not really need that Christ fellow, and they really need is themselves. Then, then they will be ours.

Humans usually have a very high regard for themselves. They think they are pretty good. They can see the faults, the sins, the evil in another, but they see only good in themselves.

For you see my dear Harshwood, when these humans see themselves as great, then they are filled with self pride, and they don’t need that Jesus fellow. This is how it will begin. They you will have them in your claws.

Good luck on your tour of duty, my heart goes out o you as you use every trick, every scheme, every evil desire, every good intention, every proud thought to win souls for our side.

My advice to you my dear Harshwood, is to encourage that thinking. Encourage it for all its worth.

Signed

The chief antagonizer, that Christ fellow, wants the humans to see their own sins, but Harshwood, blind their eyes, their hearts, their souls to that revelation. Let them think only of the good in themselves, and you, may dear friend Harshwood, will meet your quota of human beings who will spend the rest of their lives with our master, the lord of the heat and fire, Master Satan.

Your admiring friend

Twisttape

Let them see that when repentance is called for it is not them who needs to repent. Let them see over and over again that they are really better than the guy next to them in the pew. When the pastor reads about John the Baptist, let them fall asleep, turn to other thoughts, so they will not realize that it is them John is talking to. Let them see that they are indeed really pretty good, no need for repentance, no need for forgiveness, and then you will have them. You will have them because they will see that they do not really need that Christ fellow, and they really need is themselves. Then, then they will be ours.

Pray - It is one thing to recognize that what you are doing is wrong- it is a whole other thing to alter the behavior. There are plenty of people who recognize that they need to stop X or start doing Y, but that is not repentance- repentance is a change in action or direction. We need to pray that our loved ones will find the courage and strength to not just recognize bad things, but redirect their lives.

For you see my dear Harshwood, when these humans see themselves as great, then they are filled with self pride, and they don’t need that Jesus fellow. This is how it will begin. They you will have them in your claws.

Good luck on your tour of duty, my heart goes out o you as you use every trick, every scheme, every evil desire, every good intention, every proud thought to win souls for our side.

Signed

Your admiring friend

These are examples of three prayers we should be praying for our unsaved friends and family. But what about praying for yourself? You opp a role in this too. What kinds of prayers should you be praying in the midst of ministering to an unsaved person?

Twisttape

Pray and 10:1 over yourself- The Apostle Paul had a burning desire for the lost people of Israel- even to the point that he said in that he would give up his own salvation if it would save those brothers and sisters… could you say the same? Let’s be honest, we can lose passion for the lost, almost as to say it is no concern to us if they accept the message or not.

Pray over yourself and others- We need opportunities to share the Gospel message- the truth of Christ. Do you pray for opportunities to share the Gospel with your unsaved friends? Not just to say Jesus, let them come to faith, but even Jesus I pray for opportunities to share the Gospel with them, and if not me, I pray that opportunities come for other Christians in their lives. Many times the things that we are bringing to God in prayer to intervene in are actually opportunities to share the Gospel.

Pray over yourself- Then, pray for boldness. It is one thing to have a door opened for the message, it then takes boldness to walk through the door.