There are moments when the deepest prayers we pray are not for ourselves, but for those we love. Scripture reminds us that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective, and that God hears the cries of those who intercede for others. The following prayer is a prayer of intercession—lifting up friends, family members, and loved ones before the Father, asking that their hearts be softened, their paths made straight, and their lives drawn toward the saving grace of Yeshua the Messiah.
"Pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Messiah Yeshua for you. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Messiah. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places."
— 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 6:12
Father God, I call out to You in prayer for (list of friends/family/those you are close to). I pray their paths be made straight, with the shifting of their hearts toward Your Son, our Lord and Savior Yeshua Hamaschiach, Jesus of Nazareth.
I ask that You would send Your most skilled spiritual gardeners—Your people who can see the soil of each one of their spirits and be Your hands that uproot the weeds, rotten seeds, gravel of false doctrine, and uncertainty. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Your hands untangle them from the snares of the adversary, such as ungodly ideology, addiction, sexual immorality, greed, unforgiveness, pride, gluttony, physical or mental infirmity, dishonesty, aggression, and discontent.
Jesus, I ask that You commission the mightiest of angels to come destroy the armies of darkness surrounding those brought before You, so that Your Word may reach the gardens of their hearts to nourish, replenish, and prepare their souls to receive the wave of spiritual gardeners You will send—who will pour the overflow of living water from the wells You have built within them, in Your perfect measure, out to each of the loved ones I am contending for.
I am asking You for the spiritual gardeners who come with the ripest of fruit, so that these loved ones will receive them well. May the seeds of Your Word flourish in the gardens of their hearts as each individual is carefully tended. In kind, I also ask that the gardeners You send be tremendously blessed in Your goodness, Father.
I ask, Father God, that the Holy Spirit would convict their hearts, plowing them toward salvation.
I ask that every instance the adversary attempts to ensnare these loved ones, Your gaze be set upon the encroaching darkness—crushing every monitoring spirit, worker of darkness, witch, warlock, astroplaning soul, curse, and ill intent. Whether the darkness arises from their own free will or in binding to the enemy, let this crushing be a sign and serve as a warning that You are with them. In Jesus’ name.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your undying love and that I am able to come to the Father with such a bold prayer request. I honor You with my surrender, that I may be a vessel of Your will, and I pray that each loved one would turn to You in devotion, becoming Your hands, that Your Word would pour out from them as they come to know and serve You. Amen.
