Should I pray for my unsaved family that they will come to know the Lord as their Savior?

Q: I have been encouraged by others to pray for my unsaved family that they will come to know the Lord as their Savior. Does this really happen very often? — U.F.

A: A passenger aboard an airliner bound for the Far East told his story about coming to faith in Jesus Christ and how his family disowned him. His family belonged to a religious sect which was quite opposed to Christianity. Yet for years he had been searching for something. One day he heard a sermon from a preacher who told about Jesus and knew immediately that his search was over. He accepted Christ as his Savior and went home and told his parents, brothers, and sisters about his new-found faith. They beat him and threw him out of the house. Nevertheless, he continued to live a new life for Christ and witness to his family about the peace and mercy he had found in the Lord. After some years, his entire family came to faith.

Jesus told His disciples: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19, NIV).

The word “world” in this context means the world’s system, the political and social order organized apart from God, and so often it is dominated by evil. However, there is no need to be depressed over fear of persecution or the trials we have to suffer. Christians often forget that we have a companion in our struggles — His name is Jesus Christ.

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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2020 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c)2020 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.