PURPOSE

This tool will help you pray for specific people based on where they are at in their spiritual journey.

STEP ONE

Ask, “Who is Jesus calling me to love and invest in?” Think of a place where you have the strongest sense of “sentness.” Is it live, work, study, or play? Who are the people there who don’t yet know how much they matter to God? Who are the people God is sending you to?

Write down their names. Put a star by the names of people you feel an affinity with and are open to you.

STEP TWO

Ask, “How do I see God at work in their lives already? Where is each of them at in their journey?” Use the continuum below to help you discern that. One end of the continuum is seeking, and the other is surrender. Someone at the seeking end of the continuum is open to friendship and beginning to ask questions about meaning, purpose, faith, spirituality, and knowing God in a general way. They want your investment in their life. Someone at the surrender end of the continuum has come to a place where they are ready to surrender to Jesus, placing their trust in Him as Lord and Savior. Ask yourself where each person you’re praying for is on their spiritual journey.

Below are 10 scripture-based prayers that correlate with each place along the continuum. The beginning of the list (#1 & #2) are prayers about seeking and the prayers at the end (#9 & #10) are about surrender. This framework will help you align your prayer for that person to that person’s current level of spiritual interest. This will give you a sense of what to prayer for now and what to prayer for next.

SEEKING

I pray, Lord, that You draw ____ to Yourself (John 6:44).
I pray that ____ seeks to know You (Acts 17:27).
I pray that ____ hears and believes the Word of God (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
I ask You to prevent Satan from blinding ____ to the truth (2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Timothy 2:25- 26).
Holy Spirit, I ask You to convict ____ of his/her sin and reveal his/her need for Jesus (John 16:8-11).
I ask You to send someone, in addition to me, who will share the Gospel with ____ (Matthew 9:37-38).
I also ask that You give me (and/or my community) the opportunity, the courage, and the right words to share the truth with ____ (Colossians 4:3-6; Ephesians 6:19-20).
Lord, I pray that ____ turns from his/her sin (Acts 17:30-31; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).
Lord, I pray that ____ would put all of his/her trust in Jesus (John 1:12; 5:24).
Lord, I pray that ____ will confess Jesus as Lord of his/ her life, take root and grow in his/her faith, and bear much fruit for Your glory (Romans 10:9-10; Colossians 2:6-7; Luke 8:15).