A Prayer for Unsaved Friends - Your Daily Prayer - March 22

A Prayer for Unsaved Friends
By Lynette Kittle

“When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven” - Mark 2:5

Do you have friends who are in need of your faith? Maybe you haven’t ever thought of it in that way or even considered it a possibility, but your faith can make an eternal life-changing difference in the lives of your friends. Still, maybe you’re not sure if that’s even possible. So let’s look at the story in Mark 2:3 of friends helping a friend. “Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.”

From the story, we know there were at least five men, four carrying one paralyzed man, but we don’t know how many men there were all together.

Details, Details, Details
Although Scripture tells us a few details, it leaves many unanswered, such as whose idea was it to bring the paralyzed man? Was it his? Did he ask his friends to bring him? Or was it their idea? Did they talk him into it or bring him without asking him?

Whereas we’re often left without all the details in various biblical situations, we trust Scripture gives us the most important ones to know and focus on. In this story, we see a man in need of healing receiving forgiveness for his sins when Jesus saw the faith of these men. Scripture doesn’t tell us if only some of them had faith or whose faith exactly Jesus saw, but it does say the plural “their,” so we know it was more than one person’s faith being recognized.

As well it seems this story points out how important it is whom we hang out with on a regular basis. What if the man who needed forgiveness and healing had no faith, but because of his friends’ faith in bringing him to Jesus that day, he received both? Sadly if he had hung out with faithless men, he would most likely have remained in his sinful, broken condition.

Who Are Your Friends?
Do you have friends who don’t have a relationship with God because they’ve never received forgiveness for their sins through Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection? If so, your faith can make a difference in their lives. All of eternity lies ahead for them, whether they believe it or not. Without Jesus, they will face eternal death and separation from God. 

But the good news is that you, their friend, have faith. Because you do, ask God to give you opportunities to share your faith with them like the men who carried their paralyzed friend to see Jesus. Like them, be willing to go the extra mile to help your friends receive Salvation in Jesus Christ. 

When it comes to praying for your friends, be passionate, asking God to do whatever it takes for them to receive His gift of new life. This truly is a life-or-death situation, where nothing on earth is more important for them than having their sins paid in full by the blood of the Lamb. Without it, your friends will be lost forever. 

Ephesians 1:7 explains, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.”

Let’s pray:

Dear Father,
We ask you to reach out and reveal Your truth to our unsaved friends. Intervene, O Lord, in their lives today. Free them from unbelief. Father, please soften their hearts towards You. Let their ears be opened to hear, their eyes to see, and their hearts to understand Your truth so that they might receive Your Salvation through Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:15).

Do whatever it takes in their lives, Lord, to bring them to faith in You. As Acts 4:12 reveals, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind which we must be saved.” Help them to understand that Jesus is the only way to You, Father (John 14:6), and is able to save them completely, living forevermore to intercede on their behalf (Hebrews 7:25). Free them from unbelief, dear Father, and give them a new heart and a new spirit within them (Ezekiel 36:26).
In Jesus’ name, Amen

Photo credit: ©GettyImages/Simon Lehmann

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.

Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.

Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith

Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going. 

Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.

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