To Encourage You

John 17:20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word”

Do you realize what a wonderful thing it is that before any of us believed, Jesus was praying for us?  When we knew nothing about Him, He was praying for us. And then when we had heard about Him, yet resisted His saving call, He kept praying for us. When we wandered, sometimes closer and sometimes farther from Him, and sometimes running in the opposite direction, He kept praying for us.  He knew that one day we would believe, no matter how things looked at that moment in time.  He made a way for us to hear the gospel. He sent His Holy Spirit to convict our hearts of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8), and He gave us the gift of faith so we would believe (Ephesians 2:8-9).  

And so, if we have believed, how can we do anything less than follow our Master’s example and pray for those who are right now in a state of unbelief.  Maybe it’s someone in our family. Perhaps it’s the family that lives next door.  It could be people in some far-off land where missionaries are faithfully ministering to shine the light of the gospel on their souls.  Each and every one of us who currently knows God has people in our lives who have not yet believed, but who someday will. So, are you praying for them?  Are you loving them in this way? And as you pray, are you asking God to open your eyes to opportunities to follow up those prayers by ministry to them? It could be a hand offered to help them in a time of need. It could be a kind word or some other action that is but a shadow of the love with the Lord has already loved us. And it could be the opportunity to share the gospel message that is the means through which faith comes. 

May God help us to love those who don’t yet love Him, for that’s His example.  It’s what He did for us.