Praying for a non-Christian friend when they are in the midst of a difficult situation is a wonderful opportunity to show the love of Jesus! Often in situations like this, Christians resort to praying with trite cliches or in vague generalities. Or we can fall into misconceptions about prayer like “If we just say the right formula with the right amount of faith and that’s all you need,” or, “Prayer is basically trying to convince God to do something nice for someone.” But these are not biblical visions of prayer!
Probably the best place to start would be to explain to your friend that prayer is not magic. Rather, it is simply inviting God’s presence and influence into a situation. In light of that understanding of prayer, you could then begin by praying for God’s peace and presence to uphold your friend during this difficult season. You can also pray for blessing and protection over your friend’s life, and for God’s intervention in the difficult situation.
It is important to remember the Bible demonstrates that there are a range of variables that can influence whether any particular prayer leads to the desired outcome that is being prayed for. Among the many variables mentioned in scripture are God’s will (Matthew 26:36-46 ; 1 Corinthians 12:7-10), God’s timing (Genesis 15:13-16), the heart-motive and character of the person praying (James 4:3; 5:16; Mark 11:25-26), the faith of the person praying and the person being prayed for (Mark 6:5-6; 11:22-24), the number of people praying (Matthew 18:19-20), the persistence of the people praying (Luke 18:1-8 ), and the potential interference of evil spiritual forces (Daniel 10 ; 1 Thessalonians 2:18).
In any instance of prayer, we only have the ability to affect a few of these variables – and this is where our responsibility lies. When all is said and done, we are called to pray, and then to trust that God is working through our prayer, regardless of the immediate outcome.
Recommended Resources
“Prayer and Ambiguity” in Is God to Blame? by Greg Boyd
“Praying in the Whirlwind” in Satan and the Problem of Evil by Greg Boyd
Why We Pray: Understanding Prayer in the Context of Cosmic Conflict by John Peckham
"Thank you all the way from Oregon. I deeply appreciate being shepherded by Pastor Greg and everyone else on the panels. You are a rare find in the church nowadays. Tackling tough questions with humility and a kingdom perspective. It has been life changing for me in such tumultuous times."
– Heather, from Oregon
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of powerful deeds, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain, that your offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years, 14 but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. 15 As for yourself, you shall go to your ancestors in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. 16 And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”
3 You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.
16 Therefore confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
25 “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”
5 And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. 6 And he was amazed at their unbelief.
22 Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you. 24 So I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
18 For we wanted to come to you—certainly I, Paul, wanted to again and again—but Satan blocked our way.
