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¹I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— ² for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. ³ This is good, and pleases God our Savior, ⁴ who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people.

1 Timothy 2:1–6

Devotional

The Apostle Paul is encouraging the young pastor, Timothy, to urge his congregation to pray for all people regardless of their station in life. He makes it clear that the Lord Jesus wants people to be saved and to be enlightened to the truth of who he is and what he has done. It should bring tremendous comfort to our hearts to know that God desires the salvation of those who are far from him and who are hurt and burdened by the sins of this world. God so loved the world that he sent his Son to save the world, not to condemn the world (John 3:16-17). Our prayers, petitions, intercession, and thanksgiving should be for all people that the Lord places on our hearts to lift up before him. We have an opportunity to pray that the one mediator between God and mankind, Jesus Christ, will intervene and change the lives of those we love and are praying for.

When we pray for the lost, the Lord moves upstream to open doors for us to engage them with the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He prepares the soil of their hearts and minds to receive the story of the cross and empty tomb. He opens our eyes to the urgency of the moment, and He fills us with His Spirit and gives us the boldness required to tell our story of how Christ changed us through repentance and forgiveness.

What an amazing and loving God we serve that he deeply desires to save a lost and hurting world! How gracious of our Great God to call us to be ambassadors on his behalf concerning this mission! It is a privilege to partner with the Lord and to pray individually and corporately for the salvation of all people in our communities. Jesus would never want any single one of us to discount our story.

⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

Reflect

• Think about someone that is unchurched and most likely doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus Christ. Now, pray for them and petition God to open a door for you to invite them to Hillside and for you to share your story with them.
• In what ways does it cause you to worship and adore God knowing that he wants them to be saved?

Pray

• Begin praising Almighty God for his love for the lost. Thank the Lord that he wants those that you love to be saved.
• Pray for someone that you know is unchurched. Ask God to give you the courage and follow-through to invite them to church with you.
• Pray that the people of Hillside will join the Lord in his mission to seek and to save the lost.