Being faithful in prayer for the lost

During this first week of Advent, we reflect on hope. Those who waited for the arrival of God’s Messiah waited with hope. We who live after the Christmas event also have hope. It is because Christ came, lived, died on the cross, rose from the dead and ascended to heaven that we have hope.

Hope allows us to endure hardship. In fact, in the midst of affliction, the hope Christ gives produces joy. It is the joy of knowing with certainty that one day all will be well. It is the joy of anticipating what God has prepared for us in the future.

In Romans 12:12, we find a three-fold exhortation: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer” (NIV). When we hold on to hope with joy, we can be patient in our affliction. We can also pray faithfully, knowing that God hears and answers our prayers.

We have prepared an Advent guide for you to use during this month. It contains daily devotionals to read, reflect and pray individually or as a family. I encourage you to download it. 

As we reflect during this Advent season, we are reminded that there are many who do not possess the same hope we do. There are millions of people in Texas, in North America and around the world who live without hope!

I invite you and your church to join other Texas Baptists to be faithful in prayer for the lost. What if members of Texas Baptists churches would pray for their neighbors by name during 2026?

We could potentially pray for every single person in Texas and in the communities beyond Texas where there are affiliated churches! God can use this to turn the hearts of the people in the pews toward the lost! More importantly, as God answers prayers, people will come into the kingdom!

Texas Baptists has purchased a Bless App subscription for every affiliated church for this purpose. Based on their home address, this app provides members of the congregation with 50 names of their neighbors along with some ideas on how to pray for them.

There are over 5,000 churches with a combined over 2.5 million members affiliated with Texas Baptists. Even if only a fraction of the churches and the members pray for 50 neighbors by name in 2026, we will be praying for the salvation and the spiritual well-being of millions of people.

When you access the link, you can sign up your church if it is not already signed up. Once the church is signed up, the link or a QR code that is unique to your church can be shared with the congregation so that individuals can sign up.

The data on how many churches and how many people in our churches are committed to praying will be shared with the Texas Baptists office, and we will make your church’s information available to you through our portal.

I hope you will consider launching this effort at the first of the year as a church and/or as an individual. Let’s believe God for a GC2 awakening. It will not come without prayer.

Join the movement as we pray for every person by name in 2026. And let’s watch what God will do!

Be joyful in hope! Pray with hope! Share the hope!