Prayer Fuel

Pray as the Lord leads you as you read today’s verse

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.” (Matthew 5:13) ESV

Praying with insight

Most people who lead Muslims to put their faith in Christ talk about how many different conversations, supernatural experiences, and divine appointments the Muslim has before he or she believes. Muslims need to interact with Christians who would be ‘salty’ in both their words and actions. Pray for Muslims throughout this area to come across Christians who are being the salt of the earth in their daily life, on social media, in evangelistic TV programming, and more.

For believers

Oh Jesus, let your children retain their saltiness. We pray that believers will abide in you, lingering long in your presence, listening to you and speaking to you. Would you make them more like you? Let them bring flavor to life and healing and cleansing to souls infected with sin. May the presence of each one of your children change their neighborhoods. Let them preach Christ and him crucified, even if they do so with fear and trembling.

For the lost

Lord, you see each person wounded by sin in this area. You know each one that is living a tasteless life that has no meaning because they do not know you. Have mercy, Lord. Let the lost meet salty ones who know the truth and speak it. We recognize that salt stings even as it brings cleansing and healing. Lord, we pray for the wounded ones who have so far refused your offer of healing through your wounds on the cross. We pray that they will not settle for the temporal semi-comfort that knows the wound is infected yet refuses to have it cleansed because of the fear of pain and change. Keep calling them to yourself, Jesus. Let them acknowledge their sin and be cleansed by your blood. Let them taste and see that you are good.

For the church

Jesus’ parallel teaching on this passage in Mark 9:50 gives an interesting twist, “Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” Today, we pray for the church in this place to be at peace with one another. May your Bride be united as believers from different backgrounds work together. May the church be ‘salty’ as it demonstrates relationships marked by forgiveness, reconciliation, and peace. We pray for churches that would start churches and continue to live at peace with one another.

For areas of influence

Pray for places of religion among these people. Pray for Quranic classes where children go to memorize the Quran and learn the basics of Islam. Pray today for:

• children to question what they are memorizing actually means
• instructors to also question what they are reciting and teaching and seek to understand what it means
• all who have attended these classes and memorized the Quran to have an opportunity to encounter true followers of Jesus who live as ‘the salt of the earth’

Declaration of the scripture

God we declare Colossians 4:6 for believers among this people. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you know how you ought to answer each person.”

Jesus, please equip believers to talk about their faith in ways that allow them to find people of peace and to ask questions that will be seasoned with salt. Give them clarity to ask the person of peace to invite others into future discussions about God’s word.