“At that time Jesus answered and said,
‘I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that you have hidden these things
from the wise and prudent
and have revealed them to babes.’”
Matthew 11:25

The wise and prudent of this world system are steeped in the love of the world, and their goals are the promotion of self. More riches, more power, more prestige.

You can’t have it both ways. The principles of the Kingdom of God are the opposite from the principles of the world, and salvation requires the death of the pride of man. That’s something that those who are wise in the things of the world cannot even begin to understand, and in many cases it will be their doom.

Riches and fame do not impress God. In fact, just the opposite:

“For you see your calling, brethren,
that not many wise according to the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world
to put to shame the wise,
and God has chosen the weak things of the world
to put to shame the things which are mighty;”
1 Corinthians 1:26-27

When you pray for the unsaved, pray that their pride be brought down. As long as a person lives in pride he cannot see his need for salvation – so pride must fall in order for a person to be saved. Pray for his/her repentance. Repentance is the death of pride and the pride problem is only solved through prayer. When you ask God to save someone, you’re asking him to overcome the huge obstacle of their pride. Only God can do that.