How to have faith and hope that God will bring a loved one to freely choose salvation?

[a.b.4.]

I have found that continuing to hope in people who are showing no signs of stirring and no interest towards Christ is one of the most agonizing and mentally scarring experiences.

Perhaps that person will choose to ultimately reject God. Then what were all of my prayers for? I could have put that effort into prayers that could have been answered instead.

 

[Chad4Him]

I know what you are talking about...

We can't place our hope in people (they will let us down) but we can place our hope in God that He will call and convict our loved ones... it will still be their choice. I had an experience one time where I was agonizing in prayer for someone, and suddenly God showed me his amazing and unfailing love for that person. He loves our loved ones more than you or I can, or can even imagine!

Your prayers are not wasted. We are to pray about everything! Not all our prayers will be answered in the way that we hope, but God invites us to bring our requests and burdens to Him.

 

[amadeus2]

I have found that continuing to hope in people who are showing no signs of stirring and no interest towards Christ is one of the most agonizing and mentally scarring experiences.

Perhaps that person will choose to ultimately reject God. Then what were all of my prayers for? I could have put that effort into prayers that could have been answered instead.

Your prayers, if sincerely prayed, were not for naught even if the persons never responded as God would like everyone to respond...yet you are not the first to be sent by God on such a mission:

"Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee." Jerem 7:27

God sent Jeremiah to speak to the people, to tell them the truth, but He also told Jeremiah before hand that the people would not listen. Jeremiah was obedient and did as God told him and the people responded negatively also as God told him.

On the other hand, we see God calling Jonah to go and preach onto the wicked gentiles of Nineveh. Jonah ran from God but eventually he turned around and obeyed God. The Ninevites repented before God at the words of Jonah.

Why is it God bothered to send Jeremiah when He knew that there would be no success there with the children of Jacob as there was with the people of Nineveh?

Our prayers and words do not save people, but... they do cause hearts/doors to be opened so that people hear the truth. If they then reject the truth, the prayer warrior or prophet or evangelist or pastor has done his job but the judgment on the people is due to making an informed decision to disobey God.

"So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.
When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.
Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul." Ezek 33:7-9

We, indeed, are God's watchmen or messengers or preachers, etc. but the test here is not only for those who we would like to see changed but also for ourselves as obedient servants/ministers.

 

[Hiswillbedone]

Though the prayers may not seem to do much, it will at least give you peace in mind in knowing you tried what you can to help them.

Who knows (God does), maybe after the one thousandth prayer will be the prayer that turns that hard heart soft... Don't give up hope!

In peace

 

[Quantrill]

I have found that continuing to hope in people who are showing no signs of stirring and no interest towards Christ is one of the most agonizing and mentally scarring experiences.

Perhaps that person will choose to ultimately reject God. Then what were all of my prayers for? I could have put that effort into prayers that could have been answered instead.

No prayers are wasted even if the answer from God is no. You are assuming that only prayers that are answered as 'yes' are of value. Our prayers show our dependence on God. To expect only one answer is not dependence on God. Trust God. His answer, yes or no, is a response to your prayer.

Consider this: Did Adam and Eve love Cain? Answer: Of course they did. Their first born child. Yet he was of that wicked one. (1 John 3:12) How many prayers they must have sent to God, yet God would not save Cain.

I believe, my opinion only, there comes a time when God tells us, that is enough prayer. He has given His answer, and it is no. No amount of prayer will suffice after that.

Quantrill

 

[Dovegiven]

Prayers are treasures to God, even if not affirmed by God. If not affirmed, we simply prayed amiss, like demanding a bank to yield up a million dollars in closing an account that only had a few hundred dollars in it. There are promises to parents who diligently raised their children in the word of God. taching them righteousness-thinking, promising they will return even if departing for a season. So parents ought to continue to pray after the children are on their own. Their prayers act to justify keeping them in eternal inheritance. Most parents obviously don't raise children the Bible way, themselves ignorant of that. They then must rely on prayers such as asking for Christian workers to intercept paths, to steer the children off a bad course. But if those parents don't know the right path, how will their prayers be effective? A more effective prayer life could be adding prayers to those of parents who did please God in the raising of their children, who call on God to remember His promise.

I prayed for extreme sinners many years when encountering them on the job, seeing little or no answer at all, seeing a steady continuation of their problems. It wasn't a failure of my praying with and for them, but their own failures uncorrected.

Jesus' last and longest recorded prayer in John 17 was not at all for sinners or the world. It was for his disciples and for future disciples. Prayer time is best served praying for those working in the Kingdom of God, and of course for those children raised in the wisdom of God. Pray those workers are able to be used to intercept sinners for the gain of the gospel of Christ.

 

[Dovegiven]

No prayers are wasted even if the answer from God is no. You are assuming that only prayers that are answered as 'yes' are of value. Our prayers show our dependence on God. To expect only one answer is not dependence on God. Trust God. His answer, yes or no, is a response to your prayer.

Consider this: Did Adam and Eve love Cain? Answer: Of course they did. Their first born child. Yet he was of that wicked one. (1 John 3:12) How many prayers they must have sent to God, yet God would not save Cain.

I believe, my opinion only, there comes a time when God tells us, that is enough prayer. He has given His answer, and it is no. No amount of prayer will suffice after that.

Quantrill

True. Sometimes God is not pleased with certain prayers, especially for those blaspheming Him.
1 John 5:14-17 (KJV)
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.
16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.
17 All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.