Praying one minute for a non-believer: one name, one minute
We would all like to see our loved ones discover God. But we know we can't convince them. A modest, discreet and decisive gesture remains: praying for them. This quest offers you a one-minute practice: write a first name, and pray for them.
What it looks like in your day
Simplicity is the key. Here is how it goes:
- Write a first name. On a piece of paper, a card, a phone note: the name of a non-believer you know. Writing makes the prayer more concrete.
- Set one minute. You can use a timer. One minute is neither long nor hard.
- Pray in three sentences. One to give thanks (“Thank you for Karim, for his humor, for his loyalty.”), one to ask (“Speak to him in your way, put on his path what he needs.”), one for yourself (“Show me how to love him.”).
- Come back tomorrow. Same name or another. The point is the repetition.
This one-minute prayer is discreet and pressure-free. It lets you keep the person in your heart. If you are short on time, it fits into a commute. If you are shy about evangelism, it is a way of joining in without speaking. If you have several names in mind, keep them on a single list: one name a day.
It also makes you more attentive: by praying for someone, you notice their joys, their weariness, the opportunities to help them. Prayer changes your outlook before it changes the situation.
What the Bible says
Paul asks believers to pray for everyone, without exception:
“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;”
“For all men”: no category is excluded. Jesus says elsewhere that faith is first of all God's work:
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.”
“No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him”: this frees you of a weight. You don't have to convince: the Father draws. Your prayer joins his work. Finally, the book of Acts presents a man, Cornelius, who is not yet a Christian but who prays and gives to the poor:
“There was a certain man in Cesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.”
God notices his prayers and his gifts, and sends someone to him. God also hears those who seek him, before they know him.
Pitfalls to avoid
Praying for a scheduled conversion. God doesn't follow your agenda. Ask him for what is good for the person, and let him choose the moment.
Getting discouraged if nothing changes. Some stories take years. Keep your first name, keep praying.
Talking too much about your prayer. If you tell the person that you pray “for their conversion,” they risk feeling judged. Keep this prayer discreet, and save “I'm praying for you” for moments when the person is going through a trial.
Forgetting to love. If you pray but never take an interest in the person, something is missing. Let prayer push you toward them.
Praying with bitterness. If the person has hurt you, begin by laying down what is hard before asking for good.
Today, write a first name. Pray one minute: a thank-you, a request, a request for yourself.