Praying for Those Who Have Lost Their Way
A touchy subject that needs to be discussed
We all have the “black sheep” in the family…
…the little bit quirky ones…
the ones who your grandparents and parents might whisper have, “lost their way.”
And this is not meant to be a judgment towards one side or the other.
But, we do need to know how to pray for those who we think (or know) have lost their way, whatever that means to you.
Generally speaking, in the context of something like this newsletter, this means that they are no longer living as if they are a faithful follower of Jesus.
They may have legitimately left the faith…
They may have simply started deconstructing their faith and beliefs but haven’t fallen one way or the other yet…
Or, if we are being honest, they believe differently than they used to and maybe you think they are moving in a dangerous direction…
That last one stings a little…because every college student bumps up against someone who thinks this way about them at some point.
And, realistically, telling someone you think they have lost their way is a good way to not get an opportunity to speak into that person’s life again…
…and praying in that same way might do the same…
How we pray for someone affects how we think about them and how we interact with them.
When we pray for them as if they are irredeemable, then they become irredeemable to us.
When we pray for them as if they are part of a cautionary tale, then they will become that to us.
But, when we pray for them as people on a journey and ask how we can be a part of their journey…then maybe, just maybe, we can find a way to make that happen (and become the answer to our own prayer).
My prayer for today
Our Father, help us see people who we think have “gone astray” as people. Help us see ways in which we can join them in their journey rather than try to be the gutter guards trying to force them back on the “right path.” And, Spirit, help us realize that the “right path” may not be the one we ourselves are on…Amen.
Remember
Pray how you would speak to them. That might seem strange, but it drastically changes how you think and pray for those who you feel need your prayers the most…and forces you to gear yourself up to be in their life not just talking about it from the sidelines.