Pray For Me

As a Christian who believes in the power of prayer, I take it very seriously when someone asks me to pray for them.  This week I started praying for a friend who asked for prayer and whom I know is not serving God and has no relationship with him. So it has started me thinking.

First, it amazes me how people do not think that God is real or important enough to acknowledge in their life on a daily basis and yet when they need something or things aren't going as planned, they ask for prayer. Why? Because they really do know God is powerful enough to help them and are too selfish to surrender what they want to maintain a daily relationship with him? Because they are so desperate they will try anything to get what they want or need? Or maybe saying "pray for me" is the easiest way to get people to give you attention and feel sorry for you and whatever you are going through? Those words always solicit attention or a few thoughtful  words at least upon their initial utterance.

Which brings me to the quandary I have when I do decide to pray for someone who isn't serving God. Because of my covenant relationship with God, he has an obligation as a part of the covenant with me to respond. He has promised to be faithful to me as I am faithful to him. And he has no such obligation to the unsaved. Yes, God in his love and mercy sometimes chooses to heal or provide for someone who doesn't love him back. But he is not in a relationship that requires a reciprocated response.

So then I am unsure how to pray. God, show yourself to them. Heal them if that is your will. Use whatever you can to prove youth are real and worthy of their devotion. Use this to draw them to yourself.

But I am not naive enough to believe that even when God does miraculously heal, that the recipient of his love will then choose to give their lives to him. So it kind of puts me on a weird place. I will still pray when I am asked, but usually I just pray that whatever God wants to happen will. (And an occasional "God, get 'em" in the best way possible.)