Prayers

Prayer For A Wandering Believer

by Stephen Wong
07/06/20
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Inspired by James 5:19-20

Lord God,

I thank you for my fellow brother/sister in Christ,

I thank you for bringing them to faith and the ways you have grown them over the years,

I thank you for their many faithful years of serving you,

Through their ministry, others have come to know Jesus and put their trust in him,

And other believers have been blessed and built up in their faith,

I thank you for the great encouragement that my fellow brother/sister has been in my life,

That through their godly example and friendship,

I have been encouraged and challenged to pursue holiness each day,

But Lord, it grieves my heart as I think over the state of this brother/sister now,

Over the years, the countless hardships, disappointments and discouragements of daily life,

Have seemed to dim out the bright hope they once had in Jesus,

They have lost the love they once had for Jesus and their passion for ministry,

They rarely walk through the doors of our church anymore,

They have stopped their usual Bible reading and prayer routines,

They no longer turn to their Christian friends and mentors for guidance anymore,

Like a virus, sin has taken hold of their hearts,

And is quickly infecting every area of their lives,

It seems that no matter how hard I try to encourage this brother/sister to turn back,

My pleas only fall on deaf ears,

My dear brother/sister has hardened their heart toward you,

And doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with you,

During these times Lord, it is so much easier just to give up on my brother/sister,

But I thank you Lord that you don’t give up on us,

And when one of your sheep go astray, you leave the flock to search for them,

So Lord, please continue to pursue this wandering believer,

I pray that you would renew them by your Spirit,

And bring healing to them from the many ways that they have been hurt,

Please break down all strongholds of sin that have taken root in their life,

And remove from their heart all the desires that have drawn them away from you,

Keep placing other believers in this brother/sister’s life,

Who can remind them of your love,

But who will also challenge them in the ways that they need to be challenged,

If necessary, I even pray that you would give them over to Satan,

If it will ultimately lead to their salvation,

Please teach me not to give up on my brother/sister Lord,

But teach me to constantly remember them in my prayers,

Continue to grow my love for them and help me to do good to them,

As far as the opportunity arises for me,

Please give me patience, wisdom and understanding,

As I seek to understand the reasons for why my brother/sister has wandered away,

And if possible, please use me to draw them back to you,

I pray that you would open the heart of my dear brother/sister,

Please give them the willingness to open your Word again,

And as they do so, may they be filled with a new vision of you,

As our infinitely glorious and eternal creator,

Whose love and faithfulness towards us never fail,

May they be convicted that only you are worthy of all our worship, praise and respect,

And that having a relationship with you is infinitely more valuable than the world’s riches,

May they be awestruck by the majesty of Christ who is Lord above all,

And be reminded of the wonderful hope of salvation in him,

I pray that day by day,

You would continue to be at work in my dear brother/sister,

So that one day they would return, broken and repentant,

Into your loving and welcoming arms.