I have a friend named Barry Meguiar. One day he asked me a profound question that literally stopped me in my tracks. He asked, “John, if God would save every person that you prayed for today, asking Him to save them specifically, how many people would get saved?”
I was stunned. I honestly hadn’t prayed for anyone, in particular, that day. It’s not that I don’t pray, but too often, I pray in general. I ask God to reach the unsaved millions across the world. And that’s important, but what would happen if we made our prayers pinpoint specific?
The Scripture tells us, we don’t have because we don’t ask. Here’s a key truth: Most of us believe because someone prayed for us, by name. So, here’s the question: Are we doing the same for others?
What if we committed to pray with focus, even fervency, for ten people by name, asking God to save them? God wants us to pray that those in our network of relationships will come to know Him. Are you willing to give it a try?
Choose ten people who you know and would like to see God save this year. These could be family members, co-workers, friends, or neighbors.
Write down their names on a card or sheet of paper.
Place that list where you will see it every day – in your Bible, on a dresser or the refrigerator, in your wallet.
Pray for each of those people by name.
One of my favorite devoters in Charles Hadden Spurgeon. His morning devotional for July 15th was on Leviticus 6:13: “The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.”
He was encouraging us to keep the altar of private prayer burning. “This is the very life of all piety,” he said.
He went on, “Let us examine ourselves on this important matter. Do we engage with lukewarmness in private devotion? Is the fire of devotion burning dimly in our hearts? Do the chariot wheels drag heavily? If so, let us be alarmed at this sign of decay. Let us go with weeping, and ask for the Spirit of grace and of supplications. Let us set apart special seasons for extraordinary prayer. For if this fire should be smothered beneath the ashes of worldly conformity, it will dim the fire on the family altar, and lessen our influence both in the Church and in the world.”
Brothers and sisters, let’s take this to heart. Let us urgently devote ourselves to God in prayer because prayer changes things. Let’s name our “10 Most Wanted” and present them daily before the throne of Almighty God.
Written by Evangelism Explosion, a Billion.Global partner.
