Dante and Jackie decided to make a quick run to the store before Bible study one evening. Their plans for a random trip to the store turned into an opportunity that God planned so they could be a blessing. They asked a store clerk to point them in the right direction of an item they couldn’t find. The clerk laughingly remarked “I couldn’t tell you where it is, myself. I don’t usually work at this location. I’m just filling in.” He then stopped what he was doing and proceeded to do his best to help them. Before they knew it, ten minutes had passed, and they had a great conversation with the clerk. This is the kind of opportunity that God plants in our everyday environments. All of us encounter them, but few of us recognize them as being ordained by God. This wasn’t the case with Dante and Jackie. They understood the assignment.
They later talked about how spontaneous the whole interaction was and how helpful and pleasant the clerk had been. They thanked God for allowing their paths to cross with this clerk, and they prayed for him. Many believers have interactions like this, but sometimes it doesn’t occur to them that these are opportunities to impact the lives of others through prayer. God has strategically positioned us to be a blessing to those around us, and we can be sure that nothing in the life of a believer is random. Psalms 37:23 tells us that the steps of the Godly are ordered and God delights in them. Acts 17:26 tells us that God has appointed all the details of our births. His purpose is baked into our makeup, and He has planted opportunities to be a blessing in our everyday reality. Absolutely nothing slips by God, and nothing happens in our lives by chance.
We meet new individuals, and sometimes run into those from our past, so that we can pray for them and their salvation. It’s an opportunity to do what we’ve been placed on this earth to do for God’s Kingdom. Sometimes a person that you knew from childhood will find a way to get in touch with you. Of course, when this happens, we want to shoot the breeze and reminisce about old times, but small talk like this is inconsequential to where this person will spend an eternity. The individual has come across our paths for the purpose of God’s Will, and we have something of immeasurable value to offer them, which is prayer for their salvation.
We must never underestimate God’s allegiance to blessing everyone. John 3:16(NKJV) tells us, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” This verse isn’t just for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. God has included everyone in this verse. He gave His Son to die for those who believe in Him and for those who don’t. 1Timothy 2:4(NLT) says that He “wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.” He wants every person to accept the salvation He offers through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and we are obligated as His children to want exactly the same thing.
1Timothy 2:1 (NLT) says “I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.” More than perhaps ever before, the urgency of praying for others is great. Times are too perilous for believers to overlook an opportunity to leave people better off than they were before they met or reached out to us. They desperately need Christ, and we need to plead the blood of Jesus Christ on their behalf. God has empowered us through Christ to get this done.
Prayer requires humility. God commands in James 4:10(NLT), “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.” We must be humble before God. This means we honor Him as the One who is in the position of sovereignty over our existences. When we wake up in the morning, the first thing we should do is pray and ask God, “How can I be of service to You and Your Kingdom today? Who will You have me to bless?” We should ask Him to open our eyes so that we recognize the opportunities to be a blessing to others. We must allow the Holy Spirit to be at work within and follow where he leads.
A hardened heart is like evaporated water, it has no use and no benefits to anything or anyone. This cannot be said of us as God’s children. Our Heavenly Father is the fountain of living waters, and His goodness and blessings never dry up or cease to flow. He works in, by, and through us. We’re His mouthpieces in the earth, and we ought to recognize that we are where we are in life because somebody prayed for us. A family member, a friend, or even a stranger, loved us with the love of Jesus Christ and had the grace of God in their hearts to pray for us. We must make this same investment in the lives of others. It’s our privilege and responsibility to God’s Kingdom and praying for someone’s salvation is the very best gift we can give to any human being. ■
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Praying for the Salvation of Others”, written for victoryinjesuschrist.life. Copyright© 2023. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
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