Worried about unsaved family? You need to read this.

I last wrote about Lot and his family being rescued when God destroyed Sodom. I had pointed out that Lot had not been righteous and upright yet he was saved because of the petitions of Abraham.

But God had listened to Abraham’s request and kept Lot safe, removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities on the plain. (Gen. 19:29 NLT).

I had been brought up with a theology that you had to extensively know and understand aspects of the Bible before you could be saved. I had carried a bit of that legalistic understanding with me since I had become a Christian.

I had once, for example, given a lovely Anglican minister in NZ a very hard time explaining what he meant when he said God saves people who are on a “pathway” to understanding Him. His argument hinged on Jesus’ words to Thomas that He was the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). My objection to this understanding had hinged on the words that Jesus added, “No one comes to the Father except through me”. My objections were wrong and God has changed my thinking.

So, can people like Lot be saved simply by the prayer of a friend or family member? What does the Bible say?

Rahab’s idol-worshipping family and friends were squashed into her little apartment on the wall of Jericho and they were all saved because of the faith of Rahab. Cornelius alone was praying and when Peter explained Jesus to him, he and all his family were baptised. Before Joshua died he boldly proclaimed (Josh.24:15) that he and his house would serve the Lord.

If entire households are covered by the prayers of their head, are entire households destroyed because of the ungodliness of their head? No- God is fair.  The entire families of Dathan and Abiram stood behind their fathers in rebellion and they were destroyed in an earthquake under their feet, yet Korah’s family, who had distanced themselves from him and his rebellion, were spared.

All this has been circling in my head for years but an event that happened over a year ago spurred recent changes in my thinking forever.

My friend was dying and I made a rapid dash to see her before she died. My prayer, until I saw her, was that God would keep her lucid until I arrived and that I would have an opportunity to pray with her alone. Some amazing happenstances (thank you, Saeid, for this word) and there I was praying alone with my friend.

My friend, as a child, had been brought up in various denominations but left all that behind to live a moral life, but entirely without God. I had spoken with her about God over the years and had always received a respectful answer with no commitment. She was receptive to me praying for her on her deathbed so I prayed for God to receive her spirit and for her to spend eternity with God. I didn’t hear her response to my prayer.

Within the hour she lapsed into unconsciousness and died a few hours later. I prayed for God’s mercy to save her.

So with all of these thoughts and events I hadn’t really thought much more until recently when I was in prayer and my friend’s face popped up and she was beaming as she said, “Thank you Kristine (her name for me)”.

So we CAN pray our friends and family into salvation!  God’s mercy is limitless. There should be no fear in petitioning God for our unsaved loved ones because He hears and answers. As Christians, we have no fear for our households. God will care for them because they are ours. Just pray everyone into your household to be saved!

And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.(Phil. 4:19 NLT).

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