Praying for the Lost

Prayer is vital in our ministries.  Movement launching and building are spiritual endeavors where prayer opens doors for effective ministry.  We want students to catch a picture of how God will use prayer in their own lives.

But sometimes it is difficult to cast vision for prayer as something other than a vague mystical exercise.  Beyond simply praying for lost students to come to faith, what do you pray for?  Mike Carr, CM LD Team in the NCO shares some great ways to make praying for the lost more specific.  He took these thoughts from Love on Its Knees: Make a Difference by Praying for Others by Dick Eastman.

Pray that God would cause people to ask certain “heart” questions that will direct their thinking toward the things of God.

• Whom Can I Trust?
  • Plant in the hearts of the lost a skepticism about the lies they hear, whether philosophical, social, or political.
  • Cause them to begin to question whom they can really trust in life.
  • They would look for someone to trust beyond themselves.
  • That political leaders would do things that will cause distrust.
• What is My Purpose?
  • That lost souls will search for the meaning of life.
  • Plant in their hearts an urgency concerning this question.
• When Will I Really Be Free?
  • Plant in the hearts of the lost an inner unrest, together with a longing to know the Truth that will someday set them free.
  • That they will feel an emptiness that can only be satisfied by receiving Jesus into their lives.
  • Cause them to ask, “When will I be free of this emptiness in my heart?”
• Why Do People Hate Religion or Reject God?
  • Cause lost souls to question why their leaders so vehemently reject the existence of God.
  • Question why people find it necessary to fight the concept of God.
• How Can I Cope?
  • Plant in the hearts of the lost a sense of hopelessness.
• Where Will I Go When I Die?
  • That God would turn this question into a quest for an eternal answer.
  • Plant in their hearts a longing to resolve this issue.
  • That an urgency will fill their hearts concerning their eternal destiny.

Here are a few other questions to help students develop a vision for leading prayer on their campuses:

• “What are you believing God to do on your campus?”
• “What could it look like?
• “What would God do if He were at work here (unhindered)?”