Romans 10 is one of the greatest chapters in the word of God, and the Apostle Paul opens it by showing us one of the most important kinds of prayers we can pray: “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.” Notice the following about verse 1:
— “My heart’s desire”: the prayer he prayed begins with the genuine desire of the heart for the good of others. This is just where many of us fall short; we don’t really love people enough to pray for them — or to witness to them, or to lead them to Christ. It is not primarily a matter of education or training; it is a matter of the heart.
— “… and my prayer to God …” When we really DO have a concern for someone’s salvation, we will channel it into prayers for them. The heart motivates our prayers.
— “… is for their salvation.” When we really care for someone, we will not merely pray for their physical healing or comfort, but especially that they may be saved. We don’t want to put a band-aid on the “cancer” of their sin problem! Pray for what is most important: their salvation. Jesus saw the paralyzed man in Matthew 9 and said, “My son, your sins are forgiven you”, because He knew that as bad off as that man was physically, his greatest need was not physical, but spiritual. He needed forgiveness. In light of that, our most fervent prayers for people should not merely be for their physical needs, but for the salvation of their souls.
For whom do you care enough today, that you regularly pray for their salvation?
