Praying for the Lost

Nothing of spiritual significance happens apart from prayer.

You may give the most well-crafted Gospel presentation. You may answer every objection clearly. But unless God moves, hearts won’t change. Salvation is His work, not ours. That’s why prayer must be our starting point.

John 6:44 reminds us: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.” That means our conversations about Jesus are always dependent on the Spirit of God working behind the scenes.

As you live on mission at your school, prayer isn’t just helpful, it’s essential.

We all have people in our lives who are close to us but far from God—friends, classmates, teammates, or even family members who don’t yet know Jesus. At Immanuel, we call those people our Waldos. It’s our way of remembering that these aren’t just random names—they’re people we love, and people God is already pursuing. You probably already have names in mind.

Pray for them.

• Pray that God would draw them to Himself (John 6:44).
• Pray that He would open their eyes to the truth of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4).
• Pray that they would come to see Him as a good and loving Father who invites them into a relationship (Romans 8:15).
• Pray that God would send more believers into their lives—people who can encourage, witness, and love them well (Matthew 9:38).

And as you pray for them, don’t forget to pray for yourself.

Ask God to give you opportunities and the boldness to speak when those opportunities come. That’s how the early Church prayed in the book of Acts.

You can’t save anyone. But you can be part of the process God uses to change someone’s eternity!

So today, lift up your Waldos by name. Ask God to do what only He can do, and be ready when He calls you to speak.