When I was a child, we didn’t get a lot of extra toys. But there was one thing I wanted very much. I thought it would be the height of joy to have a Lionel Model Train set. My desire was so great that I resorted to begging my parents for it one Christmas. To my surprise, it worked. They got me an electric train set for as a present. Unfortunately, my cousins came over on Christmas afternoon and left the transformer on and it burned up. My train set lasted less than a day.
What is it that you desire so deeply you are willing to beg for it? If it is something in this life, be warned, there are no guarantees it will last, even if you get it. Last week we discussed God’s desire for us to be involved in spreading the truth of his salvation in this lost world. We discovered that the foundation of this desire needs to be a deep passion for Jesus and a heart that is overwhelmingly thankful for the transformation he has made in our lives.
Although this can be an intimidating expectation, the starting point is something we all can easily accomplish. Once we have affirmed our passion for Jesus, we need to develop a heart that is so broken for people who don’t know Jesus that we can’t resist giving them the truth.
This is where begging comes in. Since this word can have a negative feel, we are going to change it to pleading. In other words, am I willing to plead with God for the salvation of my family, friends, co-workers, and others who are not yet part of the Kingdom of God? This pleading is nothing more than consistent, aggressive prayer for people. And the result of receiving what we ask for is that it will last for eternity.
The practical application of this process is to simply choose three to five people that you care about who don’t yet know Jesus as Savior. (Choose specific people rather than simply asking God to save lost people. The reason for this will be more evident in the next paragraph.) Then commit to humble yourself before God and pray for their salvation every day. There are three things we need to ask of God as we pray. 1) Beg God to soften the heart of each person to be open to the message of salvation. 2) Plead with God to use you in the process of bringing them to faith. 3) Ask God to allow you to find favor in the eyes of these people so you will be a good representative of Jesus.
This prayer accomplishes many things. Most importantly, because God answers prayer and we know it is his will for people to be saved, he will begin the process of drawing them to himself. Another benefit is that when I spend time praying specially and with a broken heart for someone, I am more and more encouraged and empowered to aggressively pursue them for Jesus. They are constantly on my mind. Also, as I pray to find favor in the eyes of the pre-believers for whom I am praying, I am naturally more consistent in protecting my witness through obedience to the Word.
This step in the disciple making process is vital and cannot be overlooked. This is a winning formula. It is no longer me that is working to see these people come to Jesus, it is a team effort with God. It doesn’t take extra courage or even a ton of time. But God can use our pleading to change eternity.