Jonah 1-3
There is no greater mission in life than to know Christ personally and to make Him known to those around us. Who in your family or friendship circle are you praying will come to know Christ? Maybe there’s someone you work with or live by or go to school with? Whoever it is, let’s pray more fervently for them than ever before. There is no greater mission in life than to know Christ and to make Him known. We are Christ’s ambassadors and He wants to use us to reach others. Oswald Chambers said, “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” Here are 3 ways we can pray for those around us who need to come to a saving knowledge of Christ.
3 WAYS TO PRAY FOR OTHERS TO FIND THE LORD
- THAT PEOPLE REALIZE THEY CAN’T RUN FOREVER — Jonah 1
In Jonah 1 we see that Jonah disobeys the Lord and runs from His command to go to Nineveh. God commanded Jonah to go and share the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness to a people who desperately needed it. What jumps out to me in this passage is that, as followers of Christ, we can run from obedience and not share God’s love with others. And certainly many who don’t know Christ are running from Him. We need to stop running and share the Good News! We also need to pray that others stop running and turn to God. Both are vital. Pray today that God will help you be His ambassador more than ever before. Start by showing love and kindness and then look for an opportunity to simply tell your story. Keep it simple, just share what Jesus has done for you.
And let’s also pray that those who are on the run from God will stop and realize they can’t run forever. There is only one way to Heaven (Acts 4:12) and that is through Jesus.
- THAT PEOPLE REMEMBER AND TURN TO GOD — Jonah 2
In Jonah 2 we find him praying from the belly of a big fish. Have you ever had to do that? I would imagine not. What I love about this passage is that Jonah remembers God (see vs. 7) and he turns back with humility, sincerity, and obedience. He says in verse 9, that “salvation comes from the Lord.” That is true! Jonah was a follower of the Lord and he had to stop and remember what was right and turn back to God. I want to pray that those who do not know God will also stop and remember and turn to Him. For those who do not have any understanding of who Christ is or what He has done, the word remember may need to be something more like stop and ponder and wonder if there really is a God? Maybe they start by thinking about a higher power, and then begin thinking about who God is, and then maybe someone helps them find their way to Christ. The point is, people need to stop running and start turning to the Lord. Jonah did and eventually so did the Ninevites.
THAT WE REACH OUT WITH PASSION AND COMPASSION — Jonah 3
In Jonah 3 we see that Jonah finally got it right. It says here that he obeyed the second time. There’s something about being thrown into the sea and being swallowed up by a big fish that just might get your attention, don’t you think? He cried out for mercy and then obeyed and went to Nineveh to tell them to turn to God. Nineveh repented and God showed them mercy. I can’t help but notice the important role Jonah played here. What if he wouldn’t have obeyed? God could have sent someone else or maybe He wouldn’t have sent anyone. If you really stop to think about it, there are three parts to a person’s salvation:
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- God’s part — Jesus died for the sins of the world and is knocking on each heart’s door. (Revelation 3:20). He does not want anyone to perish but desires everyone to come to repentance.
- The person’s part — Each person must answer the knock at the door, stop running, and turn to God. The Lord will not force anyone but offers salvation to everyone. (Romans 10:9).
- Our part — Like Jonah, we have a part to play and our obedience is of utmost importance. God is wanting those around us to see and understand His love. We are his hands and feet and heart.
May God help us share Christ clearly to others needing to find their way to faith.