PRAYER PROMPTS
Prayers for Salvation
Pray that God would remove their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. The Bible contrasts a heart of stone—a heart that is cold and unyielding—to a heart of flesh—a heart that is alive and responsive to God. Pray that God would work within these unbelievers and make them open and receptive to the gospel. (Ezekiel 11:19; Luke 10:2)
Pray that God would remove all obstacles and hindrances in their life and make straight His path to them. (Psalm 24:7-10; Isaiah 40:3-5, 41:18-19, 43:18-21, 44:3-4; Jeremiah 23:29)
Pray that they would feel God pursuing and chasing after them. (Ezekiel 34:11-12; Luke 19:10)
Pray that God would remove Satan’s blinding influence in their lives. Unbelievers have been blinded by Satan and will only ever be able to see and appreciate the gospel if God works within them. Pray that God would shine His light in their hearts and give them spiritual sight. (Matthew 6:13; 2 Corinthians 4:4, 6; 2 Timothy 2:25-26)
Pray that God Himself would send His Spirit to come and dwell within them. (Ezekiel 36:26-27, 37:9)
Pray that they would see the truth and the glory of Jesus. If unbelievers are to come to salvation, there is just one way. They must come through Christ and Christ alone. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6). Pray that they would have open hearts, open eyes, and open ears to believe and respond to Jesus in faith. (Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 13:15; Luke 8:5-15; John 6:37, 10:27-29; Romans 10:13)
As you share the gospel and quote Scripture to others, pray that God would apply it to their heart, that it would pierce to the deepest, darkest places of their souls, and that it would become alive and active within them. (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12)
Pray that they would see the fleeting nature of the things of this world and that they would look to Jesus to satisfy the deepest longings of their hearts. (Psalm 16:11, 119:25, 37; Matthew 11:28-30; Proverbs 3:5-6; Philippians 3:7-9)
Pray that God would accomplish His word and carry out His will. (Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 1:12; Matthew 6:10)
Pray that God’s kingdom would advance. (Habakkuk 2:14; Matthew 6:10, 16:18-19; John 1:5)
Prayers For You
Pray for a great burden to plead and intercede for the souls of others. Paul was willing to tell the church at Rome of his great longing to see the salvation of the lost. Do you share this deep burden? (Exodus 32:31-32; Romans 9:1-3, 10:1)
Pray faithfully and persistently. Our temptation is to grow discouraged in prayer, to pray for a while and, when we see no visible results, to give up. But God calls us to persevere in prayer. (Luke 18:1-8; Colossians 4:2)
Pray with confidence knowing that God hears and responds to our prayers. (2 Chronicles 7:14; Isaiah 65:24; Jeremiah 33:3; James 5:16; 1 John 5:14-15)
Pray that God would give you boldness to share the gospel, and that as you do, He would give you the words to say and speak through you. (Matthew 10:16-20; Acts 4:29-31; Romans 1:16; Ephesians 6:19; Colossians 4:3-4)
If you are timid or afraid, pray through some of these verses—Deuteronomy 3:22; Joshua 1:9; Psalm 23:4, 46:1, 56:3; Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 10:19-20, 28:18-20; Luke 10:17-20; Rom 8:31-39; 1 John 4:4
Pray that God would give you power and authority as the Holy Spirit comes upon you. (Mark 11:22-24; Luke 10:19; John 14:12-14; Acts 1:8; Ephesians 3:20-21, 6:10-20)
Pray that you will develop relationships with them. For people to be saved they must first hear the good news of the gospel. For them to hear the good news of the gospel, they must first encounter Christians—like you. Pray that you would develop deep, life-giving relationships with them, so that you can then speak the truth and proclaim the good news. (Romans 10:14)
Pray for other believers to build relationships with them. God almost always uses a succession of people to share the gospel with people before they are saved. Pray, then, that God would lead other Christians into the lives of the unbelievers you meet, that they too would provide an example of Christian living and that they too would speak the gospel. (1 Corinthians 3:6)
Pray for opportunities to shine the light of Christ by meeting people’s needs. Many people come to faith after seeing the good works and the love of Christ put on display through the lives of His people. Pray that God would open doors for you to meet people’s needs so that you can then share the gospel with them. (Matthew 5:16, Mark 12:31)
Other Prayers
Pray that God would use the circumstances in the lives of others to accomplish His work in them. God is sovereign, and He uses the circumstances in people’s lives to bring them to the end of themselves and show them their need for Him and salvation. Pray that God would speak through the events in people’s lives (both good and bad) to draw them closer to Him. (Psalm 119:67)
Pray that God would meet—and provide for—their every need. (Matthew 6:11; Philippians 4:19)
Pray that God would pour out His steadfast love on the people in our community. (Exodus 34:6-7; Lamentations 3:22-23; Zephaniah 3:17; 2 Peter 3:9)
Pray that God would bless the people in our community and that His favor would be upon our city. (Numbers 6:22-27; Deuteronomy 28:2-6; Isaiah 61:1-3; Jeremiah 29:7. You may want to worship to Elevation Worship and Kari Jobe’s song, “The Blessing.”)
Pray that God’s presence would fall on our community and our city. (Isaiah 44:3, 64:1)
Pray for the leaders and authorities in our local schools and government that they would make wise decisions that honor God. (Psalm 2:10-11; Proverbs 2, 21:1; 1 Timothy 2:1-4; James 4:6)