How To Pray For Souls To Be Saved

As Christians, it is our desire and mission to see souls being saved by preaching the Gospel, as we should since God desires everyone to be saved (For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:3-4). For a person to be saved, preaching the Gospel is essential. God has ordained the preaching of the Gospel for people to be saved. There is no other thing by which a person can be saved apart from Jesus (Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Acts 4:12). The Gospel alone has power and saves people. That is why even if we are not eloquent speakers, people can still be saved through what we preach because there is power in the Gospel (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). However, just as preaching the Gospel is essential, we should never leave prayer out in the proclamation of the Gospel.

Father in heaven, as we advance Your kingdom through the preaching of the Gospel, remind us to also be steadfast in praying for those to whom we preach the Gospel. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

 

 

Why Do We Have To Pray For Souls To Be Saved?

We pray for the souls to whom we preach the Gospel because, in the end, their salvation is ultimately the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives, especially in their hearts. As we make disciples of all nations (Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19), we must preach the Gospel to others. The matters of the heart are something that the Holy Spirit works on in the hearts of the people, not us. That is why we can never change people; only God can.

If you have noticed, there are people who, despite their intellect, still reject the Gospel, even though it is simple enough, because their hearts are hardened. Take a look at the Pharisees in the New Testament. With all their intellectual prowess, they still missed out on Jesus being the Messiah (But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14). It is because their hearts were hardened. In Ezekiel 36:26, it is written that God turns hearts of stones to hearts of flesh.

Another reason why salvation is the work of God in people’s lives is that it is He who opens our spiritual eyes. An excellent example of this is the man born blind in John 9. Not only were his physical eyes opened, but his spiritual eyes were opened too. He saw Christ for who He is and that He is the Messiah who was promised to save him, and he then worshiped Him. On the other hand, the Pharisees could physically see Jesus right in front of them yet were spiritually blind to their sins; they rejected Christ as the Messiah and denied their need for Christ.

Our salvation is ultimately the work of God in our lives. As written in 1 Peter 1:3, God’s mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope in Jesus (Ephesians 2:1-9). That is amazing grace right there, not just because God gave up His only Son, but because God turns our hearts of stone to hearts of flesh and opens our spiritually blinded eyes so that we may see Christ, believe in His finished work, and repent.

We pray for souls to be saved because their coming to Christ is not due to how eloquent we are in preaching the Gospel but because of the Holy Spirit’s work in their hearts. God’s grace is always at work.

An excellent example of this is the apostle Paul, who was once a zealous persecutor of the church. His heart was hardened, and his spiritual eyes were blind, despite being an intelligent Pharisee. If God’s grace was able to work in the heart of someone like Paul, how much more will it work in others? No one is too far from the grace of God once God starts working in their lives.

How Do I Pray For Souls To Be Saved?

As mentioned above, salvation is God’s work in people’s lives, in which He turns their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh and opens their spiritual eyes. Therefore, you must pray for souls to be saved by praying that God will soften their hearts and open their spiritual eyes as they hear the Gospel so that they may believe in the finished work of Jesus on the cross, that He is indeed the Son of God, and so they may repent from their life of sin by committing to follow Him.

That is provided, of course, that you preach the Gospel to these people and that as you preach the Gospel to them, they will have softened hearts and opened spiritual eyes, thanks to the Holy Spirit working in them.

Heavenly Father, I pray for the people I will encounter this week and preach the Gospel to so that as they hear the Gospel, You will soften their hardened hearts so that they may be receptive. Open their spiritual eyes, Holy Spirit, and show them the glory of the Gospel, Your love, grace, and mercy in the person of Christ. I pray that they will believe it and repent. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

You can also pray for people to be saved, not just for the people to whom you are preaching the Gospel. You can say this prayer for almost anyone or any group of people. For example, we have missionaries in Japan, so you can pray for the people of Japan to hear the Gospel and that those who hear it will have softened hearts and opened spiritual eyes.

Father in heaven, I pray for the people in Japan that they will hear the Gospel. I pray for boldness and open doors for our believers to proclaim Christ to them. As the locals hear the Gospel, I pray that You will soften their hearts and open their spiritual eyes so they may believe the Gospel and follow Christ. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

The advancement of the Gospel of Christ is a partnership between God and us. Our job is to go to the nations, move in signs and wonders, and proclaim the Gospel. Changing their hearts is not our job but God’s. That is why, as we do what God commands, we should still pray for people to be saved.