A prayer checklist of questions

Dick Eastman has a useful checklist of questions for anyone praying for family, friends and others who have yet to give their lives to Jesus.

After returning from his first trip to mainland China, Eastman began praying daily for the Chinese to come to know Christ.  But he did not know how to pray for them - he did not know China and the Chinese well.

In his book Love on its Knees, Eastman says he remembered Paul writing in Romans 2:15 that the law of God is written in the hearts of "Gentiles" - non-Jews - even though they did not formally know it.  Their own consciences told them what was right and wrong.

This very basic feeling for right and wrong can be a good starting point for bringing people to Jesus.

Eastman, a global missionary and prayer leader, decided to use a series of questions to spur his prayers for these people he did not know.  I feel his checklist is good for us, even if we know the people we are praying for.

Here is a sample:

• Whom can I trust?   He prayed that these people would be prompted by God to ask whom they could trust to tell the truth.  This question is central to the journey many people have taken to faith.
• What is my reason for being? He asked God to plant this question in the hearts of unbelievers.  It is a question that helps turn people's minds toward eternity.
• When will I really be free? This question can apply to a variety of issues - freedom from oppression of various kinds, freedom from loneliness, freedom from an inner emptiness.  Many people feel empty and hopeless.  Such a question can help drive them to the only one who satisfies - God.
• Why do people reject God? Eastman saw this as a question that is particularly important in atheistic countries where God is rejected out of hand.  But it applies just as well in our society.  The prevailing intellectual climate in Canada is anti-God.  We can ask the Lord to stir this question in the minds of seekers.  Some people have started out trying to prove God doesn't exist and have wound up believers.
• How can I cope with my problems? This is a big question that applies to everyone - Christian and non-Christian.  When someone feels at the end of his rope, he starts looking for help.  Many people have come to the Lord in this way.
• Where will I go when I die?  It's a cliche that death can concentrate the mind.  But it is also true.  It is the ultimate question.  We need to pray that our unbelieving friends will ask that question and find the answer in Jesus.

Of course, these questions only lay the groundwork for people to find Christ.  We need to go beyond them to pray that the Spirit will arrange things so that our friends and loved ones will find their answers in the Lord - perhaps through us.

Eastman's list has got me thinking.  I am going to use it as I pray for friends and family.