How to Pray for Prisoners and Those Who Minister to Them
The United States incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. While this is a problem, it is also an opportunity. The prison mission field is ripe for the harvest—every prisoner needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and every believing prisoner needs the church and the means of grace. One way you can “remember the prisoners” (Heb. 13:3) is by praying for them and for the chaplains, volunteers, and prison missionaries who labor faithfully on the prison mission field. Here are some ways you can pray for both groups.
Pray for true conversion, not just reduced recidivism rates.
Not every profession of faith in prison is false. However, many prisoners will say what the system wants to hear if it shortens their sentence or helps them get a better housing assignment. Pray for metanoia—the Spirit’s work of transforming the hearts and lives of those who are dead in sin and incapable of changing themselves. Pray for the kind of change that the State cannot produce—repentance, not mere rehabilitation.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10).
Pray for perseverance in the face of real hostility and hate.
The Gospel is opposed in every way to the culture of prison. Those who profess faith face real danger simply for identifying themselves as followers of Jesus Christ. They live daily among those who openly oppose Christ and the advancement of His kingdom. The temptation to “go along to get along” and to remain silent in the face of evil is a daily threat in an environment that discourages faith and suppresses truth. Pray that your brothers and sisters in Christ would be kept from falling and strengthened to endure to the end.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (Heb. 10:23).
Pray for those who proclaim the gospel behind the wire and the walls.
Chaplains, volunteers and prison missionaries labor for years to earn the trust of both inmates and prison staff, often with little visible fruit or recognition. Pray for grace, wisdom, and protection. Those who minister in prison face danger, discouragement, and burnout. They depend on the Spirit to renew their strength and encourage their hearts.
“Let us not grow weary while doing good” (Gal. 6:9).
Pray for doctrinal faithfulness among ministers and volunteers.
One of the greatest challenges in prison ministry is how starved prisoners are for sound doctrine. While there are many well-meaning volunteers, there are very few with seminary training. When prisoners hear sermons at all, the sermons they hear are often emotionally manipulative, legalistic, or doctrinally deficient. Sound teaching is often in competition with therapeutic moralism and even outright heresy—particularly in the form of “name it and claim it” messages. Many volunteers lack both the training and the confessional resources needed to defend the truth of Scripture. Pray that those who minister in prison would teach the truth without compromise.
“Hold fast the pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1:13).
Pray for churches willing to receive believing prisoners into membership.
When a prisoner is savingly united to Christ by faith, he or she is also a member of Christ’s body. A believing prisoner ought to be baptized. But baptism also means incorporation into the visible church. Our Reformed ecclesiology requires more than evangelism, it requires discipleship—baptizing and teaching the whole counsel of God to all the children of God (Matt. 28:18-20). Pray that churches would understand the need for believing prisoners to be included in the visible church, provided access to the means of grace, pastoral care, and the communion of the saints.
“Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God” (Rom. 15:7).
Pray for families that have been separated by incarceration.
Many churches have no idea how many of their own members are suffering silently because a son, or a daughter, or a grandchild is in prison. The family members of prisoners endure more than just the loss of a loved one. They often (wrongly) carry the weight of unspeakable shame and guilt. The children of prisoners lose precious years with a father or mother who cannot be there when they are needed most. Pray for reconciliation, provision, and healing for families shattered by incarceration.
“A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation” (Ps. 68:5).
Pray for open doors and unhindered access.
Every prison ministry depends on relationships with wardens, chaplains, and corrections officials who can change policy or personnel without warning. Pray that the Lord would keep facility doors open, grant favor with administrators, and multiply opportunities for the gospel to shine the light of Christ in the darkest place.
“Pray also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word” (Col. 4:3).
