Is intercessory prayer valid?
Upvote:0
Correct! Praying for others' salvation seems futile IF you know they are not going to be saved:
The Parable of the Wedding Feast
22 Jesus again used parables in talking to the people. 2 “The Kingdom of heaven is like this. Once there was a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. 3 He sent his servants to tell the invited guests to come to the feast, but they did not want to come. 4 So he sent other servants with this message for the guests: ‘My feast is ready now; my steers and prize calves have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast!’ 5 But the invited guests paid no attention and went about their business: one went to his farm, another to his store, 6 while others grabbed the servants, beat them, and killed them. 7 The king was very angry; so he sent his soldiers, who killed those murderers and burned down their city. 8 Then he called his servants and said to them, ‘My wedding feast is ready, but the people I invited did not deserve it. 9 Now go to the main streets and invite to the feast as many people as you find.’ 10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, good and bad alike; and the wedding hall was filled with people.
11 “The king went in to look at the guests and saw a man who was not wearing wedding clothes. 12 ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ the king asked him. But the man said nothing. 13 Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot, and throw him outside in the dark. There he will cry and gnash his teeth.’”
14 And Jesus concluded, “Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
(Matthew 22:1-14)
So, praying for others is like gathering all the people you could find (because this is the Lord's command to all Christian believers, so we must obey). Unfortunately, not all who are invited (or prayed for) will be saved (but, few will be saved).
Read Acts 16:25-34 as an example: Paul and Silas were praying and the prisoners heard them...Something happened that the jailer asked them what he must do to be saved. The jailer and his family believed in Jesus and was filled with joy.
Upvote:1
What if your prayer for them is part of the "choosing process"? If you are prompted (or commanded) to pray, then pray.
What God has foreknown, He has predetermined in the creative act. Will we be a part of His plan or will we step aside? Jesus did not do many miracles in Nazareth, the place of His upbringing, because of their little faith.
For example, God has determined that creation and Law declare His glory (Psalm 19). This is not a request...it is a statement, but if we will not willingly do it then inanimate nature will drown out our voice. God will be glorified!
As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” - Luke 19:37-40
As is well said by Ron Kenoly, "Ain't gonna let no rock out-praise me"
What God has determined to be contingent upon our prayers is contingent upon our prayers. Such knowledge is too lofty for us, we cannot attain it...obey.
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