Bible tells us to pray for the salvation of others, why?

hello brothers and sisters i have been thinking about this from two angles, i know we should pray for the salvation of people, surely.

but when im thinking about it, i just see it as a waste of time. i still do it because the bible tells me to, but logically speaking:

if man has free will, then there is no reason to pray to God, as its not in God's hands, the ball is in our court, God already did His part, now its up to us to believe the gospel.

if there is no free will and God chooses who is saved, then once again no reason to pray to God as the number is already fixed, no amount of praying will fix it.

^ Example from Scripture:

"Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." - Romans 10:1










[... and noting ^ (its context): the biblical definition of "Israel"<--i.e. those of the nation known as Israel... No such thing as "spiritual Israel" which supposedly includes Gentiles, no.]

You should always pray for others. How do you know that they will not come to know God?
I do my little part by praying and I trust God with the rest.
Don't give up on people God hasn't.
He will do it in his way and in his timing 🥰

you are wasting your time praying because you think it's waste of time. your heart can't be totally devoted to prayer with that mind set. are you going to stop praying for yourself or family? imagine, centuries ago, no one praying for anyone. we would be worse off than now.

Never stop praying for all the People of this World. The number is not fixed. I may plant the seed of truth in someone's heart and someone else comes along and waters that seed and now the person is saved. But is was God who put both of us in that man's path. Trust in God and believe your prayers matter.

I honestly don't know all the reasons as I believe without a doubt that God knows everything in every way and does know the end from the beginning. I however, see the application of it and what it does to our very heart. I find that if we do this it keeps us from always having our eyes on us and our needs.

The thing about love is the more you operate in it the more it grows and becomes a natural way of life and automatic reaction for us. So in the application of doing so I find we have to humble ourselves and turn our eyes on Jesus, esteem others needs over ours. I believe it increases our love for others which we know if we love others we love God.

So to me I see how the application of it with a true heart, it really is love and us expressing it and it will make our love grow and reshape and mold us into that image. So I agree with others things being said here but for me this is how I see the personal application of it and how it effect's me and my attitude and motivations as I am reshaped.

Hello, Melach, lovely to see you as always, and I do hope you and yours are well .

I wonder if you need to add another angle to your line of thought and inquiry?

One where prayer is not to change anything about God, or others, but your own self.

hello sister.

can you tell me more about this? this angle is something i have not considered.

i made this thread because being genuine in prayer is really important and im a very logical kind of guy i need to understand why im praying for something.

am i understanding right you say its about doing the right thing. you pray because you desire people to be saved and to bless them (and i do)

Is this the same as wondering why we should pray at all?

no. not at all.

I might be wrong, but according to some reading I made of books of ascetic monks, when we pray for the salvation of others (better done if you can specify the person or persons that you have in mind) he (Our Lord Jesus Christ) is more able to save them and intercede in their life, compared to nobody praying for them, making them completely lost in the hands of the enemy, you´re right it will always be up to them to chose the Lord as their saviour, but still, if you pray about them, the chances of they getting the supernatural experience of being saved and get to know the Lord is much Higher. A lot of Christians testimonies talk about how someone close to them, family members or friends, prayed about their conversion, before they converted, something they only found out after they converted. I have a friend which I spoke to about the Lord during a year, and he always listened but never really cared that much about it, I prayed for his salvation, and after one year, he told me I was right, that he had spend a whole night crying and that he felt he was forgiven, and at peace with God.

The reason and purpose of intercessory prayer is an important topic: consider carefully the following points:

(1) God gave Adam dominion of the world - that is - he was ruler of the Earth
(2) Adam sinned and is so doing gave the "kingdom" over to Satan
(3) Jesus came to Earth as a man and Satan "killed" him - and thus Satan trespassed and the authority was again in the hands of God
(4) Thus Jesus said to His disciples when he ascended: All authority is given unto me in heaven and on Earth - go ye therefore . . .
(5) Thus Jesus gave the authority of the kingdom to his disciples - and this is passed on to all believers today

Thus when we pray we are appropriating the power of God's kingdom (which God has delegated to believers).
It is not that God cannot move in the affairs of Earth if we don't pray, but the fact is that He will not move in the affairs of Earth if we do not pray. This is how He has ordained it.

When I read the OP, I thought we should start with scripture that says or implies that we should pray for people to get saved. That verse came to mind.

Bible tells us to pray for the salvation of others, why?


It fulfills the 2nd Commandment of Jesus, Love your neighbor as yourselves.

Because we don't want to see people go to hell.

Praying for the Lost
Use these scriptures to make prayers to pray over those that are lost.


1) Matthew 12:29
"Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house."

We should bind the devil from working in their lives, and take authority over the enemy. In Luke 10:19 Jesus said "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power (authority) of the enemy". Jesus has given us authority to take authority over the enemy. We must exercise our authority by speaking out these scriptures against the enemy. God's Word MUST be declared over them in faith continually, and consistently if you ever expect to see the person(s) you're praying for come to Jesus.


2) Matthew 16:19
"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

Declare (out loud) in faith that you are binding the devil's ability to work in their lives, and declare (out loud) in faith that the person you are praying for is loosed from the control of the devil and all carnal influences of darkness in the world.


3) Mark 16:17
"And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues".

Demand (out loud) in faith that you are casting the devil out of their life! Jesus has given us power and authority to do this, and He will see to it that this is carried out if we don't give up and quit standing on this promise.


4) 2 Corinthians 10:4,5
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

Speaking God's Word (promises of freedom) over someone's life is mighty through God for getting the results of pulling down strongholds (enemy activity) in people's lives.


5) Luke 10:2
Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest. (Also see: Matthew 9:38)

Declare (out loud) in faith that laborers (witnesses of the Gospel) are continually coming into their lives to declare the goodness of Jesus and His desire to set them free from darkness.


6) 2 Corinthians 4:4
In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Declare (out loud) in faith that their minds are no longer darkened and the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ is now shining on them, and in their minds (understanding, vision, ability to see what is right)


7) Ephesians 1:17,18
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

Declare (outloud) in faith that the eyes of their understanding (their mind, vision, ability to see) are now opened and declare that they have the ability to see what is right.


8) Hebrews 1:14
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Declare (out loud) in faith that God's angels have already been sent forth to minister salvation (deliverance, freedom) to the person you're praying for by bringing witnesses of the Gospel to them, by protecting them from destruction, and by ministering thoughts of the promises in God's Word to their thoughts.


9) 2 Timothy 2:24-26
And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

When attempting to reach the lost, they are the ones who have to make the decision to turn away from darkness and become converted to the Kingdom of God thru Jesus Christ... we have to be gentle in our attempt to teach them the truth and we have to be patient (consistent)...and in faith ask the Lord to give them the vision (hope) needed to see that they need to repent and accept Jesus Christ as Savior and as Lord.

Your unbelief pretty much your prayers will be of no use,
Praying for others may well cause the Holy Spirit to move upon the spirit of the unbeliever and bring them under conviction, and they may "freely" choose to accept Jesus into their hearts. It's called intercessory prayer, and it can work, elsewise why would Jesus be our Intercessor sitting at the right hand of God the Father. As I do not believe in Calvins Theory of Predestination, I and I agree, if predestination (as Calvin taught it) is real, then any prayers for those lost would do no good whatsoever.

The TULIP taken to it's "logical " conclusion may bring many to this conclusion. That's a whole can of worms that I don't have time to address. I will say this though. God does not choose from birth, some to be damned. He draws all men unto Him. Both the Father and the Son do this . The Holy Spirit reproves of sin, righteousness and judgement. John 16:8-...

We who are saved are commissioned with the role and responsibilities of telling, of leading the lost to Christ. I truly believe that the Bible is clear on the fact that we are to go to the lost, pray for them and preach the gospel.

Thinking on the question, the verses about agreeing come to mind.

And so I searched for those that might provide some insight.

The first is iffy regarding its relevance to my idea, but then again, it might be key in understanding the others.

Amos 3:3
Do two people walk together unless they have agreed to meet?

/but I was thinking more specifically of

Matthew 18:19
Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

which is followed by

20 For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”

This also brings to mind 1John 5:7-8

7 For there are three that testify (some text included 'that testify on earth' and 'that testify in heaven')
8 the Spirit, the water, and the blood--and these three are in agreement (are one).

If we are directed to pray in faith, that is believing, but we don't agree, then what would be "unheard" about the prayer?