How to pray for the repentance of those you love.

About two years ago, I had a conversation with a musician who had just released some new music that focused on the nature of his growing relationship with the Lord.  We recorded the conversation and aired it on one of my podcasts, and in the years since, I've often thought about what this man shared with me.

 For several years during his twenties, he was estranged from his family and living a life that was quite distant from the Lord.  He had become addicted to all kinds of things, and as he embraced his addictions, he often found himself living in strange places, making poor choices, and spending time with others who encouraged him to keep walking down this path.

 While this was going on, his family never stopped praying for him.  They prayed for his protection.  They prayed that the Lord would give him wisdom.  They prayed that he would return to the Lord and sincerely repent of the unhealthy sinfulness he had embraced.  This season stretched on for years, but they continued to pray that the Lord would do something miraculous in his life and open his eyes so that he could stop embracing lies and begin embracing the truth of the gospel.

 One evening, after getting high once again and finding himself in a somewhat dangerous environment, this man decided he had had enough of this lifestyle.  He wasn't sure what to do about it, but knew if he called his dad, he might help.  So he picked up a phone, called his father, and his father immediately got in his car, drove to where the man said he was, found him, embraced him, and brought him home.

 By God's grace, he repented of sin, trusted Jesus completely, and follows Him sincerely to this day.  Now, he uses his gift to write and sing music that brings glory to Jesus.

 This man's story isn't unique to him.  It's a story that has been lived out by many people throughout the course of human history.  It wouldn't surprise me to learn that there may be someone in your life that you're presently praying for right now.  Someone who is on a journey of attempting to run from the Lord when what they really need to do is repent and return to Jesus.  There are certainly people in my life that I'm praying for right now who seem to be on that kind of path.

 In Hosea 6, we read the words of the prophet as he prayed for the repentance of Israel during one of their severe seasons of rebellion against the Lord.  The words of his prayer and the subsequent response of God are both insightful and encouraging as we lift up our heartfelt concerns for others to the Lord as well.

Pray with the understanding that God's discipline is meant to help you.

“Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.  2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.  3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”  (Hosea 6:1-3)

 During Hosea's day, the people of Israel continued to rebel against the Lord while worshipping Baal and attributing the blessings of God to the false deity they embraced.  It was a heartbreaking site to witness, particularly for those whose hearts were aligned with the Lord's heart.

 Compelled by the Holy Spirit to pen this plea, Hosea offered these words of counsel to the rebellious nation.  He encouraged them to return to the Lord as their first love.  He reminded them that even though the Lord was using various means to discipline the people, this was really evidence that God loved them and desired them to be near to Him.

 Hosea spoke of the Lord tearing them down but then healing them.  This pattern reminds me of the very same effect the gospel message tends to have on us.  In certain ways, the truth of the gospel tears us down before it heals us.  I often think of this when I'm preaching and have to look at the faces of those I'm speaking to because I can see how various aspects of the gospel impact our hearts as its implications become clear to us.

 God's word reveals that He created humanity in His image and He desires that we have a perfect relationship and enduring fellowship with Him, but we rejected that and idolized our own wisdom instead.  As a whole, humanity lives before God as sinners, rebels, and enemies who embrace spiritual death instead of embracing spiritual life.  That's not a pleasant starting point when speaking of these things conversationally.  It hurts to hear that.

 But then God's word speaks of the solution.  The Son of God, Jesus Christ, took on flesh, lived life without sin, experienced the condemnation we deserved when He died in our place, then rose from death and offers to forgive the sins of all who trust in Him while also securing a permanent place in His eternal family for all who believe.  

 The gospel tears us down before it heals us.  It tells us we're sinners but then offers us salvation through faith in Jesus.  I see a similar pattern in the plea Hosea presented to the people of Israel.

 In the words Hosea spoke, he also prophetically looked forward to the day when Israel would experience genuine revival.  The day is coming when they will recognize Jesus, their Messiah and Savior.  I pray that day will be soon.

Pray for those you love even when they make you shake your head in sorrow.

"What shall I do with you, O Ephraim?  What shall I do with you, O Judah?  Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away."  (Hosea 6:4)

 The manner in which the heart of God is expressed in this passage feels highly relatable to me.  These words remind me of every time my parents and grandparents looked at me while I was growing up and said, "What on earth convinced you to make that kind of decision?"

 I think of those moments often, particularly as I operate as a parent.  I love my children, but admittedly, there have been plenty of moments when I've had to shake my head in confusion over their decisions, just like my parents did with me.  And the day is coming when they may be shaking their heads at children of their own.

 Hosea records sentiments that speak of God looking at the nations of Israel and Judah with grief as He says, "What shall I do with you?"  He also describes these people as having a fickle kind of love toward Him.  It was love that seemed to be present for a moment but then evaporated like a cloud or some dew.

 The people we love may at times, put us through a similar experience.  We may even find ourselves saying, "What am I supposed to do with you?"  But take heart.  God knows how best to help the very people who often puzzle us.

Pray for the justice and mercy of God to be welcomed and displayed.

"Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets; I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light."  (Hosea 6:5)

 It's amazing to read through the pages of Scripture and consider all the advantages the people of Israel have been given.  They were given the patriarchs, their own land, prophets, miraculous signs, divine protection, the covenants, the Scriptures, the apostles, and ultimately the Savior, Jesus Christ, who as far as His earthly lineage is concerned, was born among them.

 But the sad reality of human nature is that regardless of the benefits we're given, we can easily reject even the greatest of blessings.  We see that pattern taking place in Israel at the time of Hosea's writing.

 Instead of receiving the words of the prophets as a demonstration of God's mercy, we’re told that Israel was going to be chopped to pieces because they rejected God’s counsel.  They would experience judgment and be slain by the words of God's mouth.  In their pride, they had puffed themselves up against God, but now they were literally going to be cut down in humility.

 Wisdom involves listening to God without having to be cut down by the words of His mouth.  Pray that those who are currently in rebellion against the Lord would listen to Him, but if they won’t, pray for God to cut away whatever idols they’re embracing, even if that surgery might be painful.

Pray for obedience that is motivated by love.

"For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings."  (Hosea 6:6)

 Hosea 6:6 is such an interesting verse because it illustrates a common trait that was present in ancient Israel while also remaining present among the general culture of today.  It is a very common practice among those who have grown up in a religious context to say something like, “I know I’m not supposed to do this, but I’ll just ask for forgiveness later.”  But is that what mature faith looks like?  Could that be evidence of a lack of faith in the first place?

 In the culture of Israel, they would do something similar.  They would sin against the Lord, then attempt to justify their sin by saying, “I’ll just make a sacrifice.  That should cover it.”

 But the Lord desires obedience that’s fueled by love, not sacrifices that function like a heartless “get out of jail free card.”  In John 14:15, Jesus specifically said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  We also see, in the gospel of Matthew, Jesus quoted this verse from Hosea on multiple occasions to make this exact point.

"Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”  (Matthew 9:13)

"And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”  (Matthew 12:7-8)

 If the Lord didn’t love the people of Israel, he wouldn’t have sent them a prophet to communicate His heart and call them back to repentance.  If He didn’t love the world, He wouldn’t have sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to call us unto Him, invite us to repent of our sins and trust in Him for salvation.

 There are people in this world that we love, and God loves, but their lives don’t yet demonstrate a reciprocal love for God.  But as long as we have breath, it’s worth praying for their repentance.  They aren’t the first people with hard hearts that God has had to deal with.  In this season of God’s patience, let’s continue to lift them up before the Lord and seek His intervention in their lives.

© John Stange, 2025