I want to pray for my Mum to be saved , what do I pray ?

[cygnusx1]

Everyone is welcome to reply , derailing will be either ignored or reported , If I am asking God to save my Mother what should I say ?

If God cannot save anyone unless they ask , should I ask my Mother to allow God , or should I pray that God intervene and change her mind , the stakes are high , so don't mess about , just say what I should do , and if asking God to bless the message to her has any meaning what can it mean ?

Is it possible for God to move people to understanding the Gospel , is it possible to pray God grant faith and repentance to a loved one , or does that not fly in the face of many theological philosophical speculations ?

If you answer , try giving specifics , "Dear Lord , ............

 

[heymikey80]

"God, save my mum. Revive, heal, reform, and turn her back to You through Your Spirit through Christ our Lord. Amen"

 

[HaveHope]

Dear Lord, please soften my mum's heart and give her eyes to see and ears to hear. Please shed your grace on her and grant her saving faith in You. Amen.

 

[nobdysfool]

<staff edit>


Please just answer the OP's question, as several other have, without all the irrelevant commentary. Can you do that?

 

[cygnusx1]

<staff edit>

so , if I pray "Lord save my Mum" , what can God do ?

 

[mikemack]

Lately I've started to pray that God prepare us, and the one we're praying for. So often we want a quick answer to prayer, but the more I look I see what God often does is prepare us for what we ask for. So when the time comes, we're ready for what we ask for.

So stay strong, and persistent, and pray that God prepare you both and guide your mother to Him.

 

[cygnusx1]

.. thanks everyone for responding with advice , I appreciate living out Christian faith not just debating it ,

here's the problem I have , maybe you will see my point and share ,

God is said to already be willing to save sinners , all sinners , and so He has done all that needed doing to save my Mum ? so what am I asking God to do ?

It's like asking someone who is in love to get wedded to the girl of his dreams and he says " hang on a minute I have made my intentions clear , what more can I do ? , it's all down to her to reciprocate my offers " , so asking him to "do something more " is begging the question , "what more can he do" ?

what do you ask God to do in terms of saving loved ones ?

If its true 'all gifts have to be received' , God will not grant salvation unless humans wish it , so do we ask God to intervene AFTER a loved one repents ?

that would be a pointless exercise , but if you are asking God to intervene before a loved one has saving faith or spiritual repentance then you are asking God to do something you believe He cannot and will not do .
some conundrum you have there .

The Christian who knows God's sovereignty over human wills knows God can intervene and change a human heart , so we should pray God save my loved ones . God is able to save to the uttermost. Grace is in God's Sovereign will.

 

[ConsumedByHisCall]

I believe both Calvinists and Arminians can pray the same prayer. We both affirm the use of means by which God draws men to himself after all. Our disagreement over the irresistible nature of such means shouldn't change that request, IMO.

 

[nobdysfool]

I believe both Calvinists and Arminians can pray the same prayer. We both affirm the use of means by which God draws men to himself after all. Our disagreement over the irresistible nature of such means shouldn't change that request, IMO.

Let's consider Jesus' own spoken promises regarding prayer for loved ones, and see how that squares with the resistible vs irresistible paradigm.

Mat 7:7-8 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (8) For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.

Mat 18:19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.

Mat 21:21 And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, 'Be taken up and thrown into the sea,' it will happen.

Mar 11:24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Luk 11:9-13 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. (10) For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. (11) What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; (12) or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? (13) If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

​

I could go on, but I think you can see my drift. Jesus makes it plain that what you ask in prayer, believing, will be done. Not "might be done", or "if they're willing it will be done", or "if it is His Will". So, while some may balk at the idea of irresistible, at least when it comes to prayer, the answer to that prayer is irresistible.

 

[ConsumedByHisCall]

In effort to defend the irresistibly of God's will you appear to argue for the the irresistibly of man's will in prayer??? What happened to "not my will but thine be done?" Surely, you are not arguing that when a group unites in prayer that whatever they request will always come about in the way they ask, are you? And I'm not sure how that relates to the irresistible call to salvation???

 

[nobdysfool]

In effort to defend the irresistibly of God's will you appear to argue for the the irresistibly of man's will in prayer??? What happened to "not my will but thine be done?" Surely, you are not arguing that when a group unites in prayer that whatever they request will always come about in the way they ask, are you? And I'm not sure how that relates to the irresistible call to salvation???

Why do you ascribe ulterior motives to what any Calvinist says?

I think that you have totally missed my point. Please go back and read more carefully. I am quoting the words of Jesus, not my own words. If Jesus says that I can pray for anything, believing, and it will be done, I am not going to pick that apart and try to say that He didn't really mean it that way. If I pray for the salvation of my mum, or any loved one, believing, Jesus said I will have whatsoever I ask. Irresistibility doesn't even enter into the equation. If you believe that God answers prayer, then praying the prayer of faith will bring an answer to that prayer, not just because I prayed, but because Jesus said that if I prayed, believing, I would receive the answer to my prayer. Jesus said it, I believe it, and that's the way it will be, not because of my faith, but because of His faithfulness to perform His Word.

 

[cygnusx1]

I believe both Calvinists and Arminians can pray the same prayer. We both affirm the use of means by which God draws men to himself after all. Our disagreement over the irresistible nature of such means shouldn't change that request, IMO.

describe just how Calvinists and Arminians can pray the same prayer with consistency , eg , tell us specifically how you would pray and what you might expect God to DO , then explain how two totally different view points can ask God the same thing ???

 

[ConsumedByHisCall]

I already answered that, I thought. We both agree that God must intervene and that means are necessary. What does the "irresistible" nature of those means have to do with whether or not one would request them?

It seems to me to be a bigger problem for the one who believes that the ONLY means that can have effect is the "effectual call" which is something only God elects to implement at the time He wants. If the provoking of men's will through envy, signs, gospel appeal, persuasion and such is ineffectual (as Calvinists believe) then really the only thing left to pray for is the "effectual call" (regenerative work of the HS) which has been predetermined to occur at God's appointed time anyway.

 

[cygnusx1]

I already answered that, I thought. We both agree that God must intervene and that means are necessary. What does the "irresistible" nature of those means have to do with whether or not one would request them?

It seems to me to be a bigger problem for the one who believes that the ONLY means that can have effect is the "effectual call" which is something only God elects to implement at the time He wants. If the provoking of men's will through envy, signs, gospel appeal, persuasion and such is ineffectual (as Calvinists believe) then really the only thing left to pray for is the "effectual call" (regenerative work of the HS) which has been predetermined to occur at God's appointed time anyway.

still yet to see any specifics , can you give me a prayer you would pray ?

 

[ConsumedByHisCall]

Let's look at it this way. Suppose your mom is an alcoholic and you were contemplating asking your pastor for help in dealing with her addiction.

Is your pastor going to use irresistible means to assist your mom in her addiction? No. Does that keep you from asking him? Of course not.

On the other hand, if you believed that your pastor had just enough magic potion that supernaturally cured alcohol addiction for 10 people of his choosing and that he had already predetermined who those 10 people would be and that could not change, would you bother making the request, fully knowing it wouldn't change a thing?

 

[ConsumedByHisCall]

I don't have a problem with any of the prayers suggested... You just ask for help. What more do you need to hear?

 

[nobdysfool]

Let's look at it this way. Suppose your mom is an alcoholic and you were contemplating asking your pastor for help in dealing with her addiction.

Is your pastor going to use irresistible means to assist your mom in her addiction? No. Does that keep you from asking him? Of course not.

On the other hand, if you believed that your pastor had just enough magic potion that supernaturally cured alcohol addiction for 10 people of his choosing and that he had already predetermined who those 10 people would be and that could not change, would you bother making the request, fully knowing it wouldn't change a thing?

Looks to me like someone is dodging. Cyg made a simple request. Can you comply?

Talking to one's pastor is not even in the same league as praying to God. I don't see any relevance to the scenario other than as a dodge to avoid the simple request that Cyg requested. And, there doesn't seem to be any further attempt to consider what I posted, which is very relevant to the discussion. Trying to pull it off onto a rabbit trail isn't going to work.

 

[cygnusx1]

Looks to me like someone is dodging. Cyg made a simple request. Can you comply?

Talking to one's pastor is not even in the same league as praying to God. I don't see any relevance to the scenario other than as a dodge to avoid the simple request that Cyg requested. And, there doesn't seem to be any further attempt to consider what I posted, which is very relevant to the discussion. Trying to pull it off onto a rabbit trail isn't going to work.

I don't know why it should be so difficult for any none - Reformed Christian to answer specifically how they pray for the lost to be saved , unless they are realising all their prayers sound just too Reformed and hesitate to reveal that on their knees they are Calvinists !


We pray God to open eyes , soften hearts and turn loved ones from the path of destruction for the simple reason we accept believe and understand God is SOVEREIGN even over men's wills , God can change hearts and make humans willing , we don't merely pray for God to enable salvation (that is already done) we ask God to save !

and if God doesn't answer our prayer it cannot be because He can't do it , else why would we even pray ? but because He has chosen not to do it .




The premise used many times by Arminians is that "even God cannot do all things " , so if God can save anyone we pray for why doesn't / wouldn't He ?

 

[Brother Chris]

Dear Lord, I know about your sovereignty. I know about election and predestination, but at the same time you have made the offer of salvation open to anyone. You can save anyone. By Your sovereign grace, please do whatever it takes to save my mom. Draw her to your Son and grant her repentance and faith. None of us deserve to be saved. Show my mother the same grace you showed me. Open up her eyes, and shatter that heart of stone. Do all this for Your glory and Your Son's glory. Show the devil who's Boss. Your sovereignty does not eliminate my responsibility to pray about everything. Send me, or some of your other children to preach the Gospel to them. Let a seed be planted in their hearts and may it grow into salvation. In Jesus name, and He said you would do it if I asked in His name. Amen!

 

[ConsumedByHisCall]

I don't know why you two are acting as if I haven't addressed your question when I have. I told you first that we would pray the same as you would because we both affirm the use of means and the affirmation of "irresistibility" isn't relevant as to whether or not the request should be made. I also told you that the prayers already suggested were fine for that same reason. Now, it appears you are the ones dodging the real issues at hand.

Explain why we would need to pray differently than you simply because we don't believe God uses irresistible means?