Praying for lost loved ones?

Praying for lost loved ones? 

I continually pray for “Saving Faith” for unbelieving family and friends.  These individuals do not know my Lord, and they appear to not care if they ever meet Him.  So, as I bring these people to the throne of grace in my prayers, I often detect an element of doubt playing in the back of my mind that says:

“They are dug in; they will never change their mind. How will they ever consider the life changing meaning of sin, grace, and forgiveness? This individual is not capable of ever changing their mind.”  However, the next time I sense this sort of thinking seeping into my thought pattern, I will just smile and remember this story of the stubborn captain.

The following experience as told by Frank Koch in Proceedings, the magazine of the Naval Institute.

“Two battleships assigned to the training squadron had been at sea on maneuvers in heavy weather for several days.  I was serving on the lead battleship and was on watch on the bridge as night fell. The visibility was poor with patchy fog, so the captain remained on the bridge keeping an eye on all activities.

Shortly after dark, the lookout on the wing of the bridge reported, “Light, bearing on the starboard bow.”

“Is it steady or moving astern?” the captain called out.

Lookout replied, “Steady, captain,” which meant we were on a dangerous collision course with the ship.

The captain then called out to the signalman: We are on a collision course, advice you change course 20 degrees.”

Back came a signal, “Advisable for you to change course 20 degrees.”

The captain said, “Send, I’m a captain, change course 20 degrees."

“I’m a seaman second class,” came the reply.

 “You had better change course 20 degrees.”

By that time, the captain was furious. He spat out, “Send, I’m a BATTLESHIP. Change course 20 degrees.”

Back came the flashing light, “I’m a LIGHTHOUSE.”

We changed course.

So never doubt how easily God can reveal the reality of His salvation to the heart and mind of a lost soul.

Psalms 49:12-13 But man, despite his riches, does not endure; he is like the beasts that perish.  This is the fate of those who trust in themselves, and of their followers, who approve their sayings.