Things I Remind Myself of

When the things of God are your life, one way that affects you is that you have a burden to see others saved. When those you are concerned about don't seem to have any interest or you can't seem to find a way to "get through" to them, it can be discouraging. When I'm praying for someone who seems to NOT CARE themselves that they are lost, I work at keeping several things in mind.

ONE:
I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO DESIRE TO GET SAVED before the night I got saved. I do not remember being "under conviction" at all. Quite to the contrary, I wanted to stay away from "that church" because both my brothers had got saved and that was VERY UNUSUAL. I didn't know what had got hold of them, but I didn't want it getting hold of me.

I went to church the night I got saved for one reason: I kept my promises. I had been "harangued" (I thought) by those who were inviting people to go and I finally promised to go to one night of a revival that was being held. I waited until the end of the week. I don't remember anything about the message that night. What I remember AND WILL NEVER FORGET is the altar call.

GOD DEALT WITH MY SOUL.

GOD.

It wasn't just what some person said to me. It was GOD taking what they said and putting "the punch" into it. It was a divine working of the Spirit. When I yielded and got saved, GOD changed my desires, my out look on life. Before He changed me, I wanted no part of what I saw the church to be.

I don't hold up my life as the only example of how God works. I know that some people do get under conviction before they go to church. But I do hold this up. IT TAKES GOD TO SHOW THEM THEIR NEED. They don't come up with that realization without His divine intervention. If He leaves them alone, they leave Him alone. (And, yes, I know that sometimes even when He convicts, people still choose to not turn to Him, but my point is NO ONE IS GOING TO TURN TO HIM until He first shows them their need to do that.)

TWO:
I work to keep in mind that my prayers are not "wasted" just because I see no results in the actions or words of those I have a burden for. I know that my prayers are being heard and that God will move at the time He chooses in the way He chooses. And, of course, I also have to accept that even after He does that, people can turn Him down. But, I'm convinced if I keep praying, God will be faithful to their souls.

THREE:
Another thing I work to keep in mind is what great lengths God will go to in order to get someone "lined up" to be saved, to come to a knowledge of truth. There are countless testimonies of how God worked to bring people to a place that they would come in contact with the true gospel of Jesus Christ. Remarkable "global positioning." It's awesome to hear some of the testimonies of how God worked to bring saints in contact with the gospel.

We shouldn't be surprised that the God of the universe --Who co-ordinates the movement of the planets-- can maneuver situations to bring people together to accomplish good in a soul that desires ABOVE ALL ELSE to do God's will, but it's still inspiring to hear the individual testimonies of how He has done it.

FOUR:
I keep in mind that God's timetable is not ours. I remember many, many years ago earnestly praying for a YOUNG man that I wanted God to move on and give him a chance to be saved. He was not from a saved home. He was a relative of the saints but his life was much different. I can't remember now why, but "he touched my heart" and I prayed for him for a very long time. At one point, he came to church for awhile and even sought salvation, but he was young and the things he wanted in the world seemed more important than the standards of the church, so he left. Just recently I remembered those prayers I had prayed. I don't even know why I forgot about them, but I did. This "young man" is no longer young. Life has done a work on him. But in the last year or so, he has frequently shown up in our services. I'm not sure what he will do. But he is being given that opportunity that I prayed so earnestly about YEARS AGO.

It would be better if people yielded early on. It would make such a difference in their lives. But, like this "young man", they think there's something out there that they really shouldn't have to give up. ("That's just your idea.") They move on. They seek after that which was more important.

By the time they realize what they left the gospel for is NOT more important, very often things have changed so drastically in their lives that it's just NOT THAT EASY to come back. Only our prayers and God's mercy will get them over the mountains they have created by going after what they thought was more important.

So, remember, just because someone is not being dealt with doesn't mean God is not going to deal with them. And, also, don't give up. Your prayers may not seem to be doing any good, but you can know one thing for sure: It WON'T do any good NOT to pray. And you might just see God work a miracle down the road some time and bring in someone you'd have never dreamed would be saved. (We have some very good examples of that among us too.)

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