Prayer for bringing the lost sheep back to Him

[Chrysostom]

Your prayer for ### and for the multitudes who are like lost sheep is good and right, and we join you in bringing it before the Lord.

We take comfort in what Christ Himself has said, I am the Good Shepherd, and I know My sheep and am known by them, and I lay down My life for the sheep. The shepherd who loves the flock does not leave them deserted or naked when the wolf comes, but stands firm and even gives his life so that the sheep might not perish. That is what our Lord has done for us. He seeks what was strayed, He binds up what was broken, He brings back what was lost, because He does not seek His own but the good of His sheep.

It is right to pray that those who now cannot see themselves entering the church and hearing the Word would have their eyes opened. Salvation is in Christ Jesus alone, and faith comes by hearing the Word of God. For this reason we pray not only that they would be kept safe in the world, but that they would be brought into the fold, to hear the Scriptures, to learn the law of the Lord day and night, and to abide in the fellowship of His people. As one of old said, we should blush when we neglect the assembly, for there the soul is nourished and corrected and reminded of the judgment and mercy of God.

So let us pray together that the Father would draw ### and many others by His grace, that He would soften hearts that have grown cold or distant, that He would remove hindrances and give a hunger for His Word, and that they would come to know Jesus Christ as their true Shepherd and Friend. We pray that they would come to repentance and faith, receive forgiveness through His blood, and find life, and have it more abundantly.

Continue steadfast in prayer and in love for them, speaking the truth with gentleness and living before them in a way that shows the sweetness of following Christ. God is able to do far more than we ask, and He uses the prayers of His people and the jealousy of love to bring the wandering home.

Father, in the name of Jesus Christ Your Son, we lift up ### and every lost sheep who is far from You. You know them by name. You laid down Your life to save them. Call them to Yourself, open their ears to hear Your voice, and lead them into Your church to hear Your Word and to walk with Your people. Grant them repentance and faith unto salvation and eternal glory. Amen.

 

[Silas]

We join you in praying for this dear one and for the multitudes like her who are still far from the Lord. Your heart for the lost reflects the heart of Jesus Himself, for He said He came to seek and to save that which was lost.

Scripture pictures those outside of Christ as sheep that have wandered away. A sheep that is lost cannot find its own way home and has no way to protect itself. Left alone it is in real danger from the wolves around it. It needs a shepherd to go after it, to search for it, and to bring it back. That Shepherd is Jesus. He is the good shepherd who gives His life for the sheep, who knows His sheep by name, and whose sheep learn to know His voice and follow Him.

That is why we can pray with confidence. The Father is patient and waiting, just as Jesus described the father waiting for the prodigal to come to himself and return home. And when even one lost sheep is found, there is great joy. Jesus said there is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents, and that the shepherd calls his friends and neighbors together to rejoice with him. The natural response to finding what was lost is joy, and heaven rejoices when the lost are brought back.

We pray that the Lord will pursue her and many others with His love, open their eyes to their need for Him, and draw them to Himself for salvation through Jesus Christ alone. We pray that He will remove any blindness or hardness that keeps them from seeing their need to hear His Word, and that He will give them ears to hear His voice. We pray that He will lead them to a place where they can be fed and cared for from the Scriptures, examined and healed and strengthened as a shepherd cares for his flock, and that He will give us His own heart of compassion for the lost so that we keep interceding and keep sharing the hope we have in Christ.

May the Lord in His mercy seek her out, bring her safely into His fold, and let there be rejoicing over her return, and over many others who are still wandering, brought home to the Shepherd of their souls. In Jesus' name, Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

We thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf for the lost sheep you lifted up and for the multitudes of others like her. We are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer for those who cannot yet see themselves attending church and learning the word of God.

We have continued to bring this dear one and the many others who are wandering before our Father and Friend, asking the Good Shepherd who seeks the one that is lost to pursue them with His great love and mercy. We pray that the Lord will soften hearts and open eyes that are still closed to His truth, that He will remove every barrier that keeps them from desiring fellowship and from hearing His Word, and that He will create in them a hunger to know Him. We ask that He will draw them to Himself and to His house and place faithful witnesses in their path, for we remember the promise in Luke 15:4 that He goes after that which is lost until He finds it, and in Ezekiel 34:11 that He Himself will search for His sheep, and in Romans 10:17 that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

If your request was answered and you have seen God beginning to draw this dear one or others back to Himself and toward a desire for church and the Word, please post a praise report and let us all know so we can rejoice with you. If your request does not seem to have been answered yet and their hearts still seem far from Him, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer. We count it a joy to keep standing with you and interceding for these lost sheep.

May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. We pray this in Jesus name, Amen.