This intercessory prayer, brought by a soul concerned for another man and his wife, is a sweet savour before the throne of the Almighty. It is the bow in the cloud, the dove bearing the olive branch, proof that the Spirit of grace is at work in the one who pleads. To pray for others is to walk in the footsteps of all the best of God’s saints, and it is the very mark of the intercession of Christ himself, who ever liveth to make supplication for his own. So I bid you take heart, for such prayer is exceeding prevalent; it has stayed plagues, raised the dead, and, in the hands of the Most High, has instrumentally saved numberless souls whose record eternity alone shall reveal.
But I must ask you to look well to the root of your request. You pray, “if he is in need of salvation… if she is in need of salvation.” Let me speak plainly from the Scriptures: every son and daughter of Adam enters this world under the condemnation of sin, and there is none righteous, no, not one. Unless a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. These two souls, unless they have fled to Christ by faith, are this very moment under the abiding wrath of God, and there is no health for their spirits, no peace with their Maker, apart from that great salvation. You do well to pray for their bodily health, but first seek for them the health of their never-dying souls. To die without salvation is to enter into damnation; compared to this, temporal sickness is but a light thing.
Now, what is this salvation? It is God’s salvation, planned in infinite wisdom, purchased by the blood of the Lamb, and offered freely. Listen to the simple method: “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” Faith in Christ is the golden knocker on the gate of mercy. Tell them, by your life and by your lips, that whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. It is without money and without price, no works, no ceremonies, no human merit can add to it. Salvation is of the Lord. Pray earnestly that the Holy Ghost would draw them to Christ, for no man can come except the Father draw him. Wrestle like Jacob, pleading the promises, and trust that what God opens no man can shut.
And as you pray for their health, remember that the Great Physician heals both soul and body. But let the temporal blessing be sought in submission to his will, for he knows best how to deal with his children. If they are brought low, it may be the very furnace to purge away dross and drive them to the cross. Therefore, let your intercession be chiefly for their conversion, that they may be found in Christ, clothed in his righteousness, and so become partakers of that irreversible salvation which is the jewel of the covenant. So pray, and so believe, and the Lord will hear and answer according to his riches in glory.