We all have lost loved ones and we would do anything to get them to come to Jesus, but they won’t and they can’t. They have no desire for him. No need of him that they can see. No belief. They aren’t willing. Or maybe they are too weak to come to Jesus. Too blind. Too paralyzed. Too possessed, if not by a demon then by alcohol, drugs, lies or some other strong influence that drives them.
Don’t give up hope. Only come to Jesus yourself asking Him to come to them or carry them and lay them before Jesus yourself through prayer. The bible is full of stories of parents seeking Jesus on behalf of their sick children at home, unable to travel. [pullshow] It is full of stories of family and friends bringing their loved ones to Jesus for healing. Once word reached them that Jesus would soon be passing by, he would be near to them in their own town, they seized the opportunity to go to Jesus on their behalf.
Many took drastic measures to stand before Jesus on behalf of their loved ones who were sick, paralyzed, demon possessed and unable to come to Jesus for themselves. They carried them on stretchers, lowered them from ceilings, begged him to return with them to their homes, placed their children on his lap. [pullthis]It was their faith that carried their friends.[/pullthis]
Jesus was their only hope, not the willingness or the ability of the sick, the possessed or paralyzed to come to their senses and come on their own will one day. They were unable, how much more so those who are lost and do not know it?
Who is God laying on your heart to bring before him? Jesus is near to each and every one of us Christians every moment of every day. We do not have to travel, check a calendar, fight crowds to reach his feet and gain his ear. We must only fight apathy, disbelief, and a prayerless spirit within ourselves to bring others before him and intercede on their behalf.
Below is a prayer demonstrates what it looks like to drag someone to Jesus in intecessory prayer. May it encourage you and strengthen you faith so that you might carry your loved ones before Jesus.
“For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.” – Romans 9:15-16
And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who did not seek me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.” – Romans 10:20
Dear Lord,
I’ve tried to reach him. I’ve plead with him. I’ve reasoned with him. I’ve waited for him. I’ve encouraged him. I’ve strengthened him with all the strength you have given me and I feel none is left. I’ve struggled with him. Even though at times, he would ignore me, laugh at me, roll his eyes at me, I refused to let go and give up on him as you never gave up on me.
We showed him your ways and encouraged him to walk in them. I and the precious husband you gave me who has more patience then me at times. Who was more gentle and more firm then I could be. Who counseled, consoled, encouraged, rebuked, pursued and exhorted him as much as I. He loved him, a grown man as one would love a son, and taught him your ways and walked beside him for as long as he would have him. He too endured and suffered the struggle for the hope of what could be if only the light of your word would reach his dark heart and shine on it long enough to bring forth your new life in him.
We made the most of every opportunity. We shone. We planted. We watered. We toiled and much of what we repeated was only more pain. We goofed and blundered many a time. But we know the words you gave us to plant inside his heart are good. We still hope against all hope, not in him, nor in ourselves and our own efforts, but in you for you to work outwardly that which you have been working in him through us, your earthen, weakened, clay vessels, and our relationship with him. (Philippians 2:12-13)
Your words are medicine, in meditating on them we find healing and life. Let your words have their full effect on him, even as he is unaware of their operation on his heart. Bring forth your life out of the darkness as only you can. We plead with you, his life is in your hands and he knows it not. But we know and you have opened our eyes to see his true condition, it is fatal and he knows it not, believes it not, and so he will not come to you, the great Physician to find life. (Luke 5:31, 2 Tim. 2:25-26)
Oh Great Physician of all, he will not beg you to come, but I beg you to come on his behalf. I fall at your feet and plead with you that you might have mercy on his life. He is most undeserving I know but we are all undeserving of your grace. It is hard to argue on his behalf of his merit and righteousness because he has none. I cannot defend him and must not defend him. He is most guilty before you and against others. He has harmed the innocent. He has denied your authority. His sins do deserve death. He is a thief, a liar, a sexual offender, a murderer, a drunkard, an idolater. He is stubborn, blind, rude, foolish, selfish, hard-hearted, ignorant, prideful, self-righteous and then some. There is no one willing to plead on his behalf, to ask you for his life instead they all seek to take it and justly so. The whole world stands behind Satan’s allegations against him for his accusations and charges are true and right. He is guilty. Many would shake their heads by my bringing such a one as him before you asking for mercy and salvation for him there is nothing good in him. They say he is an impossible case, a hopeless case, a fool and undeserving of mercy and grace or any special attention. No one else will come along side him to attempt to steer him straight because he runs over them time and time again and they are tired as we are.
But you have burdened my heart with the weight of his life. If no one else can feel it I can. And I bring my burden to you. I bring him to you. I lay him before you in all his absolute miserableness that he now sleeps in completely unaware of the danger he is in. He is sick and unable to come to you in his current condition so I ask you to come to him. I lower him through the ceiling. I drag him through the streets. I know you have the power to heal, the willingness to heal for those you hear so I fight my way to you to stand before you and kneel at your feet. I lift up my voice to you and call out your name and ask you to hear me. Hear my voice and my pleas for healing for such a one as him. No one is beyond your reach, beyond your grip of grace and power of salvation. Nothing is too hard for you. Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! Save him. Free him. Grant him repentance and give one such as him your very life.
Open his eyes so that he might see You. Let his cold hard heart begin its first beat and be brought to life by your love and overflow with love for others. Bend over him once again and breath your spirit of life into his dead body. Speak to his bones and command them to stand. Place the fear of you inside his heart and make such a one as him bow at your feet in repentance and gratitude and humility. Transform the low life worm into a butterfly. I know you can do it. You are our only hope. You are his only hope though he does not know you; I know you, my husband and I know you, we know you and carry him before you as on a stretcher in his disabled condition and ask you to heal him, not because he deserves it, but because of your grace and mercy for all sinners to be saved. I ask you to look upon him now from the depths of your mercy and grace. I ask you to be his Lawyer and Defense before God our Father and pay his penalty with your own precious blood and set him free from a condition which he is most unaware. I ask you to give your life in place of his. You who are most righteous and most deserving in place of him who is most unrighteous and most undeserving.
You opened my eyes to see my own condition and now I easily recognize his. He needs you as I needed you and still need you. You brought him to me and me to yourself. Tell me even now “Daughter, your faith has healed him. Go in peace.” Heal him as you have healed me. Reveal yourself to him, as you have revealed yourself to me. Save him as you saved me. Adopt him as you have adopted me; claim him as your very own as you have claimed me, one who the world had cast aside as rejected, worthless and hopeless. Pick him up as you picked me up and carry him in your bosom as you carried me.
For this very reason you came, to destroy the works of the devil. Destroy what the devil has done in this man’s life. Break all his bonds, all his strongholds, shine your light on all his delusions and deceptions and let them flee like shadows, heal his heart from all its wounds and all it’s hardness and make it soft and able to feel again and able to love as child loves once more full of purity, innocence and hope. Be the Father he never had and teach him to be the man you designed him to be after your own image and after your own heart. Love him as you have loved me. (1John 3:8, John 8:36)
In the name of Jesus your righteous Son, I seal my request and lay it before you and await your answer with expectation and hope. Amen.
