Pray as You Go!

Written by Jim Kirkland

Unless your paycheck comes from an amusement park or an ice cream retailer, work and family life during the heart of summer possesses a tangible sense of slowing down. Just a bit. From, say, “warp speed” to just run-of-the-mill “fast”.  Savor this moment, for it will be brief.  By the end of August, it’ll be a memory.

With summer comes visits to family and friends you don’t get to see much anymore.  Recently, my family spent time in the city where my wife and I first met. While there, on the spur of the moment, we called a pair of friends from that season in life. Friends we hadn’t seen in years, outside the occasional call or Facebook post.  It felt good to hear they were thrilled we were in town and wanted us to drop by, even with zero notice.

It would be a delightful evening.

And I knew I needed to be prepared.

One of the friends doesn’t believe in God. Not the True God; not any God. And wears non-belief like a Badge of Honor. This friend is highly intelligent. Their knowledge on random topics could crash a search engine. They’re up-to-the-second on all current affairs. And they are utterly lost.

I prayed.

My worldview is 180 degrees apart from my friend’s. (For full transparency, the distance in our viewpoints was probably 90 degrees when we first met. It was in the time before God lovingly broke me and I re-committed my life to Jesus Christ.) I always enjoyed arguing with my friend. But now I worried that too much time may have passed. The conversation might be awkward . No worries, there. The amount of time that elapses from entering the front door to the debating – five minutes.  Maximum. It was as if we had just seen each other last week!

And I was praying.

The topic went quickly to “religion” and the questions followed instantly. They were the ones you’ve heard before. All from “Objections to Christianity’s All-Time Top 10 List”, if there is such a thing.  In our passionate discussion, three responses I posed to my friend struck some sort of cord deep within. The change of stance was visible. It was a physical, visceral reaction.  The evidence was undeniable that what was occurring was a battle for a soul.

And I prayed more urgently.

Sharing the Gospel shouldn’t be a rote action. While I’m happy to pass along what the Holy Spirit led me to share*, I’m cautious on suggesting pat statements to be applied like some remedy for a migraine. The supporting Scriptures never change, but the interaction is as unique as the person with whom you’re sharing.  Besides, the point is not as much what is said but who is at work leading what is said. The Holy Spirit provides precious peace, clarity and empathy to form responses firmly rooted in God’s word and specifically suited for the hearer.  The Holy Spirit does the work (read John 15:26, 16:13-14, Luke 4:18). We are to be available and faithful (Study I Peter 3:15 and Matthew 28:19-20). All Him. Not us.

By the way, if you don’t know those verses I just noted, stop reading right here. Get your Bible. Go to your Bible app. Read them. Now.  Go ahead…go.

Be always prayerfully prepared for use.

That friend hasn’t yet made a decision to ask forgiveness and follow Christ. But I know without an inch of doubt they now know something of Christ they didn’t prior to our discussion. Something that impacted heart and mind. Now, the decision is theirs. Would you please pray for this person? And for myself, and that other Christ-followers in their life-circle will be raised up to share more.

You might be visiting folks you love this summer who’ve yet to enter into a saving relationship with Jesus. If so, be encouraged! Turn the responsibility over to God. Pray for the opportunity to share truth about the amazing gift we each have in Jesus. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s lead in timing, discernment and response. And prayerfully prepare for the Holy Spirit to work through you in order to speak to them.

Pray as you go, wherever you go.

Enjoy summer’s slower pace. But prepare for it to be life-changing. Perhaps eternally life-changing for someone you know.  At the absolute least, that’ll be more exciting than those goofy games of yelling some term whenever a certain type of vehicle passes you on the interstate.

*Find me at jkirkland@brb.org.