Pray For Those Far Off
Month 6: Hard Questions · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: 1 Timothy 2:1-4
1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— 2 for kings and all those in authority—so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Memory Verse
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.”— 2 Peter 3:9 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: 1 Kings 8-10
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 170 of 365 — Solomon dedicates the temple in prayer.)The Heart of It
Paul tells Timothy that the very first thing the church should do is pray. He says to pray "for all men, for kings and for all who are in authority." Not just for the people we like or agree with. For everyone. Even leaders we might find frustrating. Why pray so widely? Paul tells us straight out. He says it's because God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (). There it is again. God's huge, all-people heart. When we pray for those who are far from Him, we are praying with God's own desire. We are lining our hearts up with His.
This is one of the most loving things a family can do, and it costs nothing but a few minutes. You might never travel to another country. You might never debate a famous skeptic or stand on a stage. But you can pray. You can pray for the neighbor who mocks church, the cousin who doesn't believe, the leader on the news, and the missionary across the world. Prayer is how a kid in a bedroom reaches a heart on the other side of the planet. And it changes us too. It's almost impossible to keep resenting someone you're sincerely praying for. Loving others "far off" starts on your knees. And God, who wants all to be saved, loves to answer those prayers.
Around the Table
We can pray for people we don't even know — leaders, neighbors, far-away kids. God hears every prayer!
Let's do it: Name one person who doesn't know Jesus yet and pray, "God, help them know You."
God wants everyone to be saved. So we pray for everyone, even people we find hard to like. Praying for someone helps us love them.
Let's talk: Is there someone it's hard to pray for? What might happen in your heart if you prayed for them anyway?
Paul roots wide-open prayer in God's wide-open desire. God wants all people saved. When we pray for others, our hearts line up with His mission to the lost.
Let's go deeper: Who are three people "far off" from God you could pray for this month? And what's one way that praying might soften your own attitude toward them?
💬 Conversation Starter
If you could pray one prayer for someone in the world who doesn't know Jesus, who would it be and what would you ask?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Sometimes the best "argument" isn't an argument at all. It's praying for someone and letting God do what words can't. We pray because God "desires all men to be saved" (). And that same gentle hope is what we're called to share ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
A family that prays for the lost is a family being trained in God's own heart. First Timothy 2:4 says God "desires all men to be saved." It is one of Scripture's clearest windows into the universal scope of God's saving will, and it belongs at your dinner table, not just in a theology book. Build a simple habit. Keep a short list of names. Write down neighbors, leaders, far-off relatives, and an unreached people group. Then pray through it together regularly. You will be teaching your children that mission begins in dependence on God, and that no one is beyond the reach of a praying family.
Draws on: Tony Evans on the priority of prayer; the Wesleyan-Arminian conviction that God genuinely wills the salvation of all.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, You want everyone to be saved. So today we pray for people far from You. We pray for our neighbors, our leaders, and people across the world. Soften their hearts. And soften our hearts too. In Jesus' name, amen."
I may never reach the whole world with my feet. But I can reach it on my knees.