Whether it’s a family member, friend, or someone you regularly encounter, we all have at least one person we would love to see come to Jesus. While this is our hearts’ desire, sometimes our prayers for them fall by the wayside either from lack of knowledge or uncertainty as to where to start. How do you pray for lost loved ones? These five prayers cover the most significant areas for salvation and are engulfed with God’s word, which has the power to divide between truth and a lie and does not return void (Isaiah 55:11).
Pray for God’s Divine Drawing
Father, because we know it is not your will for anyone to perish but all to have eternal life, I ask that you draw (fill in their name) to you. Salvation is found in no other name but Jesus, who You sent into the world not to condemn it but rather to seek and save those lost. As you crafted and uniquely designed (fill in their name), you placed eternity in their heart. I ask that you awaken it. Set a fire in their heart for you. Remind them of life’s brevity. Ignite the desire to know You while there is still time and choose whom they will serve this day. Because no one can come to you without first being drawn, I ask You to shower (fill in their name) with Your loving kindness and bathe them in Your ocean of grace, paving the way to repentance.
- 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. 2 Peter 3:9
- For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10
- Who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4
- No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. John 6:44
- Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved Acts 4:12
- He has also set eternity in their heart … Ecclesiastes 3:11
- … God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? Romans 2:4
- But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD. Joshua 24:15
Ask God to Purge Poisonous Pride
Lord, I pray against the pride that sets itself up against You. The poison that keeps (fill in their name) entangled in sin and from seeking You. Flood the crevices of (fill in their name) heart with humility and a healthy fear of You, which brings about wisdom. Bind the power of pride so that (fill in their name) repents, turns to you, and is forgiven.
- In his pride, the wicked man does not seek him; in all his thoughts, there is no room for God. Psalm 10:4
- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10
- Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin. Proverbs 21:4
- Repent and turn to God that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Acts 3:19
- We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. 1 John 5:19
- When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2
Pray Against Cold Calloused Hearts
In life, hurts well up, and hearts grow cold. God of mercy, I ask that You remove the stones surrounding (fill in their name) heart and replace it with tender flesh. Prepare the soil of their heart to receive the seed of life, Your word. Circumcise their heart, cutting away the callouses, so they believe in their heart and confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. May the walls of Jericho protecting their heart tumble as I march around them with Your praise. Today, if (fill in their name) hears Your voice, let their hearts not be hardened but rather receive the gift of eternal life.
- When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37
- For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
- And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26
- Because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth, one confesses and is saved. Romans 10:9-10
- Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, Hebrews 3:7-8
- But still, others received the seed that fell on good soil. They are those who hear the message and understand it. They produce a crop 100, 60, or 30 times more than the farmer planted. Matthew 13:23
Ask for Ears To Hear and Eyes To See
Creator of heaven and earth, thank you for spiritual eyes and ears. Because faith comes by hearing the word of Christ, the god of this world has deafened the ears and blinded the mind of (fill in their name). Where there is no vision, the people perish. So I ask that you rip the veil from their eyes, so they come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil. Release their hearts from the power and captivity of the enemy. Allow (fill in their name) to hear Your voice. Strong but gentle. Loving but firm. Commanding yet caring. Let them not get Your voice out of their head.
- I am sending you to them to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ Acts 26:18
- And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:26
- Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:21
- In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4
- I am the good shepherd. I know my own, and my own know me, just as the Father knows me, and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. John 10:14-16
- The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14
- Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Romans 10:17
- Where there is no vision, the people perish … Proverbs 29:18
Another way to pray for the lost: Here I am, Send Me
Great is Your faithfulness, so how can I respond with anything less than, “Here I am, send me!” Give me a heart for Your children, eyes to see them with mercy, and ears to hear the cries of their hearts. Help me be ready in season and out of season to proclaim Your salvation with boldness and patience. However you see fit, use me to minister to (fill in their name). Guide me as I seek to fulfill the Greatest call of life – to know you and make you known.
- Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore,e pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:37-38
- And also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:19-20
- … preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:1
- Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you. Psalm 51:12-13
Whether or not you use these prayers, your prayers are powerful and effective. The only bad prayers are those not prayed. So let’s hit our knees and learn how to pray for the lost, hurting world in need of a healing Doctor!
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Powerful, Esther! I prayed through this for someone!
Oh, that makes my heart swell!!! I have several family members I pray this for, believing He will reach their hearts!
So true that sometimes I don’t pray for my unsaved loved ones because I’m not sure what to say anymore. Thank you for this help list and the verses!
You’re so welcome, Bethany!! You’re not alone. There have been times I don’t pray because I don’t see anything happening. Sometimes I need the reminder that prayers are not answered in my timing but rather His. My responsibility is to pray and leave the results to Him.
amen and amen!!! I’ve found myself in a place of unspoken prayer because I find myself lost at what to say and almost in a state of unbelief that it will help. Yet I know better. IN HIS TIME not mine!!!
I love this list of Scriptures! What a beautiful collection to pray through, and to have on hand to let the Lord direct specifically for each one as we pray! I have this bookmarked, and will pin it also!
Thank you so much, Bettie! These are the prayers I pray for some very close family members. I believe God’s word is more powerful than anything else AND it doesn’t return void. I hold on to that with great hope!!
Thank you for this, Esther! What a huge blessing and amazing reference! I’m saving and sharing!
You are so welcome, Deb!!! Thank you for stopping by and sharing!!
A much needed encoragement and clear direction in how to pray for our daughter, who loved Jesus as a child but no longer acknowledges Jesus as her Savior and Lord. I’ve been looking for specific verses of Scripture to prayer for her, and this provides that and more. Thanks.
Oh, Barbara, I’m so glad it provides direction! I too am praying for my daughter who was raised loving Jesus but FAR from Him now. I pray both our girls wake up to His amazing love!
Amen. Thank you Esther for this scriptural prayers. Like you my last daughter has drifted away from the Lord she has had loved and surrendered to while growing up after she went through depression. It breaks my heart so much but I know she has the seed of God in her and I trust the Lord to draw her back to him. Once again thank you for this prayers 🙏🏾
Very Powerful !!! Will share it to my Family & Friends. You are such a blessing !!! GOD BLESS !!
(Have you seen PUREBRIDE site on YouTube ? )
Awe, thank you so much, Edmar!! I haven’t see Purebride, but I will definitely look it up. 😉
Esther this is the first time for me I just found your website.
God was so gracious to lead me here as I was so in need of specific scriptures to pray for my daughter and granddaughter this evening.
Thankyou SOOO very much for the scriptures that follow the prayers where you can fill in the names as you pray.
This past hour I sent the prayer link to two other friends and we are all praying together for all of our prodigals combined.
Thankyou and God Bless you for the incredibly concise prayers on your website❤️
thank you so much for posting this! I was right next to my younger sister when i got saved 4 years ago and ever since then me and her have slowly drifted further apart. I dont shove the gospel down her throat and learned that with her stubborn nature to only bring her the gospel when shes asking for it, otherwise all i accomplish is pushing her away. but… over time after i got saved, me and her grew to a point where we cant even stand each other anymore. Her spirit and the Spirit that lives in me are not compitable and clash in a horrible way. The closer i am to my Savior, the further i am from her. My heart is honestly broken right now over her. shes made it clear it doesnt matter how much i tell her that Jesus loves her that it doesnt mean anything. shes made it clear her heart is cold towards the God of the Bible. Ive been burdened and praying for her since the day i got saved December 23rd 2018 and i turned to her and said “wasnt that a great service?” and her only response was “that was boring”. She goes through a lot of depression and regret over our late mother and i fear bitterness towards our father. she has scars all over her body that were self inflicted. Jesus is the answer to every one of her problems but shes turned from God to the point she doesnt want to go by her given name anymore. I cant even talk to her anymore. All i can do is text her every once in a while with a “Happy birthday” “happy easter” “merry christmas” and random “i love you” and “i miss you”. I dont even know what to pray anymore… so thank you so much for posting this. I feel lost and heart broken knowing what will happen to my little sister should her time run out. this article was a true blessing.
Thank you, praying on for those coming to church who hearts are far from Him.
Pinned this a year or so ago and forgot until this morning and as I was weeping for my prodigals to return I remembered that I had pinned this site. Thank you Lord! My daughter and husband attended church all their lives but once children arrived it started slowly tapering off and then Satan’s greatest shiny object sports came along and what day do they play? You got it Sundays! So I pray for idols to be removed from all our children… thank you for some different scripture to now pray over them !!!!