Question: Should Christians pray or not pray for "fallen" brethren?

Thomas

Answer: Dear Thomas,

There are specific verses that can give rise to this question, but without knowing if a specific passage prompts your question, let’s build a biblical foundation first. Generally, the biblical approach to such a question is that prayer is a way to come into fellowship with God. Prayer is a vehicle that allows us access to God. We are allowed that access because of Christ, his righteousness and perfection, which is imputed to us. We remain, in the flesh, imperfect, and our prayers do reflect that imperfection. But God does not accept, reject or judge our prayers on the basis of how accurate, correct, biblical, true or righteous our requests or our topics in prayer might be. God hears us for one reason – because of the blood of the lamb.

Put another way – prayer is not primarily a way for us to try to get something, or to try to change God’s mind. Actually, prayer is a way for God to change us. Who, after all, needs to be changed? So our view can be that prayer is a way and time for us to enter into God’s presence, as we are, not because we know that the way we are is pleasing to God, but because we know that Christ’s perfect work on our behalf is pleasing to God.

In prayer we are not trying to convince God with clever arguments or cogently worded debates, but instead we present ourselves so that God, the Master Potter, might work with and shape us. We need not worry that we say exactly the right thing in prayer, or avoid saying the wrong thing – for that should be a given. We are human, and when we pray we do and will say wrong things and express ourselves inadequately. If we waited until we were certain that we would not embarrass ourselves in prayer, or until we had all of the right things to say in prayer, then we would never pray.

We come in prayer not only to talk to and with God, knowing that he will listen – but also that we might "listen" to him and learn from him. Our prayer is always that his will be done on earth, in our lives, as it is in heaven.

Is it God’s will that fallen brothers and sisters be restored to him? Of course. Therefore, there is no reason for us not to broach such a subject with him.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht