Many in our modern society are people of prayer. What do we pray for? Research shows we pray for our health, for our family members, and for our finances. Also for God’s guidance, and for intimacy with him. All good things to pray for.

But something is missing, and that something is prayer for the unsaved. We’re not thinking here of prayer for sister Jane and son Paul and best friend Christie—though of course those close to us should be in our prayers. We’re thinking of the man or woman we notice at the bus stop each morning, the troubled family three doors down the street, and the multitudes who don’t know Jesus. Are strangers included in your daily prayers, or are they missing?

One survey indicates that among people who pray, only about 3 per cent pray for people they do not know.

When Jesus prayed, he prayed for and wept over the lost of Jerusalem. Matthew 23:37. And in the greatest intercessory prayer recorded in scripture, Jesus said this: “My prayer is not for them alone [that is, for the Christian family]. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” John 17:20.

The heart and mind of Jesus extended in prayer to the millions who did not know him. Are your prayers extending to those dying without Christ? If unbelieving strangers are not in our prayers, it means they are not in our hearts and minds—and that’s a problem.

The apostle Paul urged believers to pray “for all the saints”. Ephesians 6:18. But this was not the limit of his counsel. “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone—for kings and all those in authority. . . . This is good, and pleases God our Saviour, who wants all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.” 1 Timothy 2:1–4.

Paul reminds us that Christ gave himself as a ransom for all the people of the Earth. In the light of this mission, he writes, “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer”. 1 Timothy 2:8.

In and around the 19th century, a great missionary movement spread from Great Britain and some other nations to China, India, south-east Asia, and Africa. You’ve heard some names from this period—Carey, Judson, Taylor, Moffat, Livingstone, Schweitzer.

Hudson Taylor, for example, took on the challenge of preaching Christ to the Chinese people—onequarter of the world’s population. When he arrived in China, there was one Protestant Christian for every one million people. Fifty years later, the ratio was one Protestant Christian for every 2,000 people. In the most unpromising circumstances, the Holy Spirit moved in a way seldom seen since Pentecost.

This missionary movement was driven by a single great dynamic—the gospel commission taken seriously; along with prayer, prayer, prayer! Hudson Taylor was a naturally weak man, physically and spiritually. He was introspective, often lonely, frequently ill, and sometimes depressed. But he knew the source of his power, and daily he spent hours interceding with God. His testimony is clear: We “move man by God through prayer alone”.

Will you now take stock of your own pattern of prayer? If the unsaved have been missing from your prayers, will you seek God’s power to change this?

When you see a sad person at the shopping mall, send up a prayer for that one. When you come across someone practising sin, pray for that one. In your praying, extend your mind to all for whom Christ died. Focus on particular nations, or particular cultures or groups of people. Pray for victims of crime; pray for prisoners; pray for drug addicts; pray for prominent leaders; pray for minority people in your area; pray for the unemployed; pray for single parents; pray for teens and children; pray for schools and teachers. Choose one group to pray for; and next time, another group.

In our churches, how seldom prayers and intercessions are made for the unknown lost! If Christ is ever to return, this must change.

The beauty of prayer for the unsaved is that if it is sincere, it translates into action. When I am praying for people who need Christ, I am asking God, “How can I be used in answer to my own prayers?”

This article first appeared in modified form in Mid-America Outlook, March 2005. Copyright © 2009 by Ed Gallagher (South Pacific edition). / Scripture quotations taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission.