I was sitting in a small group lesson a few years ago, when the missionary who was leading it made what I felt like was an unusual request. She asked the students: “Can anyone name a verse in the Bible which tells us that we are supposed to pray for lost people?” No one responded, so after a few seconds I chimed in: “Well, Romans 10:1 says, ‘Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.'” With a note of resignation she said, “Ok, that is true …”. It turned out, she wanted to make the point that the Bible tells us that we should be praying for OURSELVES as witnesses, not for the lost to be saved. And it is true that in many cases, the Bible does tell us to pray for boldness, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and for open doors to share. But Romans 10:1 also clearly demonstrates that we are indeed to pray for the lost. Paul did. He said here: “My heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”
I believe that one of our shortcomings as Christians is in this area of praying for the lost — and that our failure to pray this way is also a symptom of some other shortcomings in our lives as well. Let’s look at what this verse has to show us tonight about praying for the lost: Continue reading
shawnethomas 
Your First Word of the Day
I suppose a Monday morning “start of the week” blog is as good a time as any to publish some thoughts I have harbored for some time. Several years ago I began writing daily devotionals at shawnethomas.com, in the hopes that the insights might be edifying to those who read them. The feedback I have received from these devotions and from the sermons I have published here has been gratifying — but there is a lingering concern which I would like to address today. Continue reading →