5 Prayers For Unbelievers
Pray earnestly for the lost with these heartfelt prayers for unbelievers, believing in God’s power to transform lives and bring them to Jesus.
The grace we have received is something that we not only get to enjoy for ourselves but that God has called us to share with others. That is why it is so important for us to keep unbelievers in our prayers because we were once them.
Whether you have unbelieving relatives, friends, colleagues, or strangers that you pass by daily. You can pray for God to plant the gospel in their heart and to bring them to new life in Christ.
One of the reasons we ought to pray for unbelievers is because it is biblical. God’s word not only tells us that God desires for all people to come to salvation, but it also instructs us as Christians to pray for those who have not received Christ yet.
Often we talk about God’s will, and what it looks like to pray according to His will. We can pray with both confidence and hope, asking God to increase His flock, knowing that it is according to His will that we are praying.
If you’re not sure how to pray for unbelievers, here are a few prayers to give you some guidance and encouragement.
5 Prayers For Unbelievers
1. Prayer for God’s Gift of Grace in Their Lives
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9
There is not a single person who has been saved because of their own works. It can be easy to mistake God’s salvation as an effect of our good works. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
It is not our works that save us, it is Christ’s finished work on the cross that saves us. He extends grace to us, and gives us the ability to respond to the gospel. From beginning to end, salvation is a work of God. In fact, it is a gift from God that we didn’t work for. We can ask God to extend this same grace to other unbelievers.
Heavenly Father,
I am eternally grateful for the gift of grace that You have extended to me. Thank You for reaching out Your hand to me, and pulling me out of the pit that I was in. Thank You for opening my eyes, and giving me sight to see Christ as He is and myself as I am. I cannot thank You enough for Your gift of grace.
That is why my heart desires to see others who are just as lost and hopeless as I was, come to know You and be transformed by You. I think of every family, friend and acquaintance in my life who doesn’t know You or who has rejected You.
I ask that You would grant them Your gift of grace over their lives. May they take a hold of it with both hands, and be saved. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
2. Prayer that God would Open Unbeliever’s Minds to the Gospel
“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” – 2 Corinthians 4:4
We cannot ignore the fact that we live in a world that is stained by sin, and in which we have a real enemy. Scripture refers to Satan as the god of this age. In other words, worldliness is something that comes from him. This means that he is the one who influences the ideals of this world.
God has allowed him to rule to some extent but God is still sovereign. The enemy has blinded the minds of unbelievers, placing a veil before their eyes so they cannot see the light of the gospel.
Lord,
Thank You for opening up my eyes to the reality of the broken world that we live in. It’s so easy to be blinded, thinking that this life is all there is. Because of this worldview, we live as though there is no tomorrow. We dive head first into the world and all that it has to offer. And the end of it is bitter. It is an end that I don’t hope for anyone to experience.
I ask that You would open up the minds of unbelievers who have been blinded by the enemy. Please remove his influence over their lives, that keeps them from turning to You. I ask that You would bring people and opportunities into their lives that would share the gospel with them.
May the soil of their hearts be prepared and ready to plant the seed of the gospel. I ask that You water that seed, that it may bear fruit. May their eyes be opened to see the glory of Christ, and to honor Him as God. In Jesus’ name, amen.
3. Prayer that God Would Destroy Mental Strongholds
“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 10:4-5
For many unbelievers there is a mental stronghold that keeps them from coming to Christ. They may refer to mental arguments or argue history and evidence, while making sure their hearts are guarded and aren’t personally involved. Many times unbelievers can have even the clearest proof of Christianity and still not believe.
Why is this? Because we are not in a physical battle but a spiritual one. We know that the enemy has an influence over the minds of unbelievers that sets them against the knowledge of God. As Christians we have the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, that we can fight the battle with. We help fight the battle for unbelievers by praying that God demolishes strongholds and makes every thought obedient to Christ.
Lord,
I come to You, with a heart that hurts for those who are lost and without hope in the world. I ask that You would shine Your light on their lives and draw them out of the darkness. Though they may not realize it, there is an active spiritual battle happening around them each day. I pray that Your word would demolish the strongholds in the lives of unbelievers. May it remove the veils that have covered their eyes from seeing the truth.
I ask that You would demolish human boasting, arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of You. I ask that You take each thought captive and make it obedient to Christ. May Your Holy Spirit illuminate their minds and allow Your word to reach their hearts. I ask that Your word would shape their hearts and minds and bring them to repentance and faith in Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
4. Prayer that They Would Come to Christ
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
The world would like it to seem that there is no one truth or one way. That we can choose our own truth and pave our own way. But that is contrary to what scripture teaches us. The Bible tells us that Christ is the only way to God the Father. This means that we don’t decide which path we want to take and hope that it will lead to the same destination. Jesus is the only one who died for our sins, and took our place. And Jesus is the only one whose sacrifice is acceptable before God the Father. We cannot know God without knowing Jesus, because Jesus is the fullness of God. Pray that unbelievers come to know the immense love of Christ, and see His infinite glory.
Heavenly Father,
Thank You so much for sending Your only begotten Son into the world to die for the sins of the world. It was my death that He died and my debt that He paid. There is no other way to You but through what Christ has done, and I am forever thankful for His blood that has washed me clean.
I ask that You would open the eyes of unbelievers to see Christ as He is. That they would see Him, as the God who humbled Himself, who took on flesh and who showed obedience to You, even to the point of death on a cross. Show them the life that He modeled here on earth, and how His will was always to do Your will.
Help them to see the weight of what He was put through for our sake, and that He did it willingly because of His great love. May they come to see Him as the only Way, Truth and Life. May they die to themselves and take up the cross of Christ each day. May they run to Christ with open arms and seek to honor and glorify Him alone for all the days of their lives. In Jesus’ name, amen.
5. Prayer that God Gives Them Repentance
“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.” – 2 Timothy 2:25-26
We as Christians serve as God’s witnesses to the world. It is through sharing the gospel that unbelievers can hear the word, be convicted in their hearts and repent from their sins. But there is a way that we should be sharing the gospel. Scripture tells us that we shouldn’t be quarrelsome, but rather be kind, and gentle in our instruction.
The aim is not to prove someone wrong or have better arguments than them, the goal is that God wouldn’t grant them repentance at the hearing of the gospel and that their hearts would be receptive to it.
This verse reminds us that it is a spiritual concern because the mind of the unbeliever has been influenced by the enemy. But God can free them from that trap, and He uses us as part of His plan. May they be set free from the trap of the devil and come to their senses.
Lord,
It is such an honor that You have chosen to work alongside people like me, people who need Your grace, and who are evidence of Your kindness and goodness.
Thank You so much for saving me, and for making me a witness to Your truth. I ask that You would help me to be prepared to share the gospel with others when the opportunity presents itself.
Help me to be humble in my approach, and not be puffed up or dependent on my own reasoning or knowledge. Help me to present the gospel and nothing but the gospel. I ask that Your Holy Spirit would work through me and reach the heart of the unbeliever.
Please set them free from the captivity of the enemy over their minds and bring them to an understanding of Your word. May they come to repentance in You, and be transformed by Your word. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.
Thank you kindly. God Bless you and everyone who reads this.