23 Bible Verses to Pray Over Unsaved Family and Friends (With a Prayer for Each)
Scripture to pray for unsaved loved ones, grouped by what you are asking God for — open eyes, a soft heart, freedom, an open door — each with a short prayer you can say with their name in it.
When you have prayed for the same person for years, you run out of words. That is not a lack of faith. It is just what happens when love is long and the answer has not come yet.
The best cure is to borrow God's words. Below are 23 Bible verses to pray over unsaved family and friends, grouped by what you are asking for, each with a short prayer you can say with their name in it. Pick one a day. Pray it out loud if you can. You will have prayed through all of them in a little over three weeks.
Quick answers
- What is a good Bible verse to pray for an unsaved family member?
- 2 Corinthians 4:4 is one of the most helpful, because it explains what is happening: "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers." Pray for that blindness to lift. Ezekiel 36:26 (a new heart for a heart of stone) and John 6:44 (the Father drawing people to Jesus) are also strong places to start.
- Does God want my unsaved loved ones to be saved?
- Yes. 1 Timothy 2:4 says God "wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth," and 2 Peter 3:9 says He is patient, "not wanting anyone to perish." When you pray for a lost loved one you are agreeing with God, not trying to talk Him into something.
- Does Acts 16:31 promise my whole family will be saved?
- Acts 16:31 — "you will be saved—you and your household" — describes the Gospel moving through a household, and in that story the jailer's whole family believed and was baptized. It is a strong reason to pray for your whole family, but each person still responds to Jesus for themselves.
- What should I do when I have prayed for years and nothing has changed?
- Keep going, and ask for help. Jesus told the parable in Luke 18 so that we "should always pray and not give up," and Galatians 6:9 promises a harvest "at the proper time." Praying with one or two other believers for the same names makes it much easier to persevere.
Start with what God wants
Before you ask for anything, settle the question underneath every prayer for a lost loved one: does God actually want this? Scripture is not vague about it.
- 1 Timothy 2:3–4 — "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth." Pray: Father, You want [name] saved more than I do. I am agreeing with You, not persuading You.
- 2 Peter 3:9 — "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." Pray: Thank You that the waiting is Your patience, not Your absence. Keep being patient with [name].
- Luke 19:10 — "For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." Pray: Jesus, You are already looking for [name]. Find them.
Verses for open eyes
Paul is honest that unbelief is not only a matter of argument. Something is blinding people. So the first thing to ask for is sight.
- 2 Corinthians 4:4 — "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Pray: Lord, lift the blindness off [name]'s mind. Let them see the glory of Christ.
- Acts 26:18 — "to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me." Pray: Open [name]'s eyes. Turn them from darkness to light, and give them a place in Your family.
- Ephesians 1:18 — "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you." Pray: Enlighten the eyes of [name]'s heart, so they know there is hope for them.
Verses for a soft heart
You cannot change anyone's heart. Neither can a good argument. But God promises to do exactly that.
- Ezekiel 36:26 — "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh." Pray: Take out [name]'s heart of stone and give them a heart that can feel Your love.
- John 6:44 — "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day." Pray: Father, draw [name] to Jesus. Do what I cannot do.
- John 16:8 — "When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment." Pray: Holy Spirit, do Your work in [name] — gently, clearly, and in a way only You can.
- Romans 2:4 — "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?" Pray: Let [name] notice Your kindness today, and let it lead them home.
Verses for freedom
Some of the people on your map are not just unconvinced. They are stuck — in addiction, bitterness, fear, or shame. Pray for rescue, not just persuasion.
- 2 Timothy 2:25–26 — "Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." Pray: Grant [name] repentance. Let them come to their senses and walk out of every trap.
- Colossians 1:13 — "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves." Pray: Rescue [name] the way You rescued me, and bring them into Your kingdom.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 — "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" Pray: Make [name] new. Let the old things finally be gone.
Verses for a messenger and an open door
People rarely come to faith without someone. Jesus told us to pray for workers — and very often, the worker He sends is you.
- Matthew 9:38 — "Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." Pray: Send someone to [name] this month — a friend, a coworker, a stranger — and make me willing if it is me.
- Romans 10:17 — "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ." Pray: Let [name] hear the message about Jesus clearly, in a way they can actually receive.
- Colossians 4:3 — "And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains." Pray: Open a door with [name] this week, and give me the courage to walk through it.
- Isaiah 55:11 — "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." Pray: Every true word [name] has ever heard about You — make it bear fruit.
Verses for you, the one praying
Praying for someone always changes the person praying. These are for the days you need it.
- Matthew 5:16 — "In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven." Pray: Let the way I treat [name] point to You.
- Colossians 4:5–6 — "Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." Pray: Give me grace in my words with [name], and wisdom about when to speak.
- Luke 18:1 — "Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up." Pray: I am not giving up on [name]. Keep me from quitting quietly.
- Galatians 6:9 — "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Pray: Renew my strength. I believe the proper time is coming.
For a whole household
Two final verses for when the person you are praying for is not one person but a family — or when you are the only believer in yours.
- Acts 16:31 — "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Pray: Lord, start with one and reach the whole house. Do it in [name]'s family.
- Luke 15:20 — "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him." Pray: Father, [name] is still a long way off. Run to them.
Acts 16:31 is not a formula that guarantees every relative's salvation — each person still has to believe. It is a picture of how the Gospel moves: through an oikos, one person to the next. That is why it is worth praying for the whole household by name.
How to use these verses this week
A list of verses is only useful if it turns into an actual habit. Here is the simplest one we know:
- Write down five names. The free Oikos Map builder does this in two minutes and keeps the list private on your device.
- Pick one verse a day and pray it over all five names. Twenty-three verses, about three weeks.
- Put the name in the verse. Praying "open [name]'s eyes" is a different act from praying "open their eyes".
- Write down anything that changes. A softer conversation, an unexpected question, a door. You will forget otherwise — and remembering is what keeps you going.
For the five-minute rhythm behind this, read How to Pray for Unsaved Family and Friends. When a door does open, How to Lead Someone to Jesus walks through the conversation.
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
Written by Daniel Ziedins.
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