I hear the cry of your heart for a spouse and for those in their life, and it is no small thing that you bring these souls before the throne of grace. The very fact that you plead with the Father in Christ’s name is evidence of the Spirit’s work stirring intercession within you. But remember, the intercession of the saints is never divorced from the Word of truth; we pray, but we also speak. If you desire the salvation of that household, you must be ready to tell them plainly what their condition is and point them to the only refuge, Jesus Christ and Him crucified. All men are approachable at some time; plead with them as you plead with God.
Let none imagine that salvation may be found anywhere else. There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. It is not by forms or ceremonies, nor by the bare repetition of prayers, but by a personal looking unto Him. The Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed.” That is the whole of it. Tell them, then, to escape from every refuge of lies and go to Jesus, for He alone has been set forth as a propitiation. The salvation of God planned in infinite wisdom and carried out at the cost of the Redeemer’s blood is a divine salvation, and it is preached freely without money and without price. Christ loved His church and gave Himself for it, and He is mighty to save even the unseemly, transforming sinners into saints. There is love that stoops from the highest heaven to the gates of the deepest hell to pull accursed ones out of the pit, but it is all in the Person of the Son of God. You need never fear that a soul who comes to Him will be cast out; His honor is engaged to save the meanest of His sheep.
Yet be on your guard against a prayer that asks for salvation while the heart remains wedded to sin or self-righteousness. If men bring their good works or their pride to the cross, they have nothing but leanness in store. The only salvation that is saving, that is our own, is God’s salvation, received empty-handed by faith. So continue in intercession, for it is a high privilege, but let your knees be joined by your lips. Speak to them the word of reconciliation; tell them to look and live, for it is that instantaneous glance of faith that brings eternal safety. And though you may see no fruit yet, the Book of Remembrance will one day reveal the value of these hidden prayers.
Above all, set before them the simplicity of the way: look unto Jesus, all the ends of the earth, and be saved. There is no other path for the blackest sinner or the most moral man. God has concluded all in unbelief that He might have mercy upon all. If they will trust Him, depend upon Him without fear, the matter is settled forever. Keep pleading, keep speaking, and leave the whole matter of their salvation in unquestioning confidence with the One who maketh intercession for the transgressors. The Spirit’s intercession within you will yield prayers in a right manner, and Christ’s own priestly office guarantees that what is bound on earth according to His will is bound in heaven.