“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 7 for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ[a] and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” (I Timothy 2:1-7)
The first day of the new year saw a death in my family. My uncle passed away early New Year’s Day. I went back to work today and found that one of my co-workers passed away just last night. Then another co-worker’s father passed away at the start of the new year. I can’t help but wonder if they found the Lord before their passing. As I was pondering on all this, I Timothy 2:1 came to mind of how important it is that we pray for all men’s salvation.
The prayers of the saints are critical in bringing people to the Lord. You may think that the prayers for your lost family members and co-workers are just going out into space somewhere, but they are going straight to the heart of God. He takes to heart each heart-felt prayer of intercession, of supplications and prayers for the lost. He so much wants all men to come to Him and when He hears these prayers He moves towards the people you are praying for.
You may not notice any change on the surface, but your prayers can and will have eternal value. You will see one day when you stand before Him, how much He values the time you took to pray for a lost one to come to Him.
In the book of Revelation 1:17-18 it says “And when I saw him, I did fall at his feet as dead, and he placed his right hand upon me, saying to me, ‘Be not afraid; I am the First and the Last, and he who is living, and I did become dead, and, lo, I am living to the ages of the ages. Amen! and I have the keys of the hades and of the death.” Most people don’t realize the incredible victory that Jesus won when He rose from the dead. He completely stripped Satan and took the keys of death and hell away from him. This gives our prayers so much more power because our intercession can literally snatch someone from hell.
Because God’s mercy is so great and so unfathomable, I believe that there is a window of time before eternity begins where the Lord reaches people who would otherwise be lost forever. I believe He reaches them through our prayers.
I have several family members who are lost that I cry out to God for every day and have for years. I just believe that these heart cries have not gone unnoticed by the Most High God. One day He will reach them.
I pray that if you are reading this post and you have been praying for a lost loved one, that you will be encouraged and take heart to keep praying! Pray for all men everywhere because you never know what God will do with your prayers! Heaven will show us the eternal value of our prayers for the souls of the lost while we are here.
Your prayers can mean the difference between eternal life and eternal separation for someone. Pray on…
Blessings everyone…
From the Heart of God... 