Bible Question:
Why do some people find Jesus and why do some not find Jesus even when they are prayed for? It doesn't seem that they will ever love God . . . no one in their life is praying for them to get saved. But you see Christians praying for salvation for others and they do not find Jesus. Thank you. Love your site.
Bible Answer:
The answer to why some people find Jesus and why some do not can be found in several different places. One of those places is in Jeremiah 29:12-13.
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. (NASB) Jer. 29:12-13
The sad truth is that they are not interested in God. They have rejected God. God always responds to those who are seeking Him. God tells us that anyone who really seeks Him will find Him,
But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul. (NASB) Deut. 4:29
The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth. (NASB) Ps. 145:18
But God searches and seeks men and women also.
For thus says the Lord GOD, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.” (NASB) Ezek. 34:11
God Searches
In Acts 10:1-2, we discover that Cornelius is a god-fearing man who is seeking to know more about God. So God pays him a visit through a dream. God also asks the apostle Peter to go to him and explain that Jesus Christ is God as well as our Savior (Acts 10:9-23). So Peter goes to Cornelius (Acts 10:24-33) and preaches the wonderful news about Jesus (Acts 10:34-47). What happens? Cornelius and his entire family believe and trust Christ to forgive them of their sins (Acts 10:43-44).
Everyone Knows
God has given every man and woman an external and an internal witness that He exists. Romans 1-2 tell us the entire creation screams at us that there is a God.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (NASB) Romans 1:20
God has also written a code of good and evil in our hearts. The fact that He did this is obvious in two ways. First, the fact that we make value judgments about others shows that we have a moral value written on our inside (Romans 2:1-2). Next, our own consciences, at least when we were younger, would speak or warn us that we were doing good or evil. God says this is proof that we had an internal witness that there is a God (Rom. 2:14-16).
Conclusion:
Prayer makes a difference. That is clear when the Holy Spirit in James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask.” Asking makes a difference. But prayers do not completely determine if a person comes to God. Ultimately God is in control.