One Prayer; One Person at a Time
“But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”—Matthew 19:14 (NLT)
It all begins with one prayer. I know in my younger years I had my parents and other relatives praying for me. God often works through one person and one prayer at a time. You never know who will be led to Jesus from the prayers you are praying and the seeds you are planting.
As I reflect on my life before Jesus, I am reminded of those who subtly shared their faith with me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but I see it now. Please don’t judge when I share this story. When my son was born, I had a sister-in-law give us a VHS tape called “The Donut Man and the Donut Repair Club.” I have no doubt she was also praying for my salvation. Through this gift, she was planting seeds and I didn’t even know it.
Remember, this is before I was walking with Jesus. I played the tape, rolled my eyes thinking this will gather dust. It had horrible acting and singing about how “life without Jesus was like a donut because there is a whole in the middle of your heart.” I wasn’t offended by it, but I sure didn’t understand the whole concept. My life was just fine the way it was. Growing up in the church, I heard about Jesus. Sometimes I prayed and went to church on Christmas and Easter. I felt as if that was enough.
Guess who pulled out that tape to play it for my son after my first husband died? Yep, it was me. I think I was playing it for me as much as for my son. I knew that there was a hole in the middle of my heart and the only person who was going to fill it was Jesus. His presence within me was the only thing that could provide me with fulfillment.
I don’t think it will surprise you to hear that I also bought multiple Donut Man VHS tapes for my children to watch. My kids can still sing (at least my daughter does) the Donut Man theme song and so can I.
Isn’t it funny how God works? He used something as simple as a children’s video to open my eyes to how empty my life had been. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus addresses how we need to have a child-like faith to inherit the kingdom of God. When we are children, we depend on our parents to meet our basic needs. This is what Jesus was trying to tell His disciples and what He is telling us. Releasing control and depending on our Father to provide for us is how we do this. Just as I provided love and security for my children, God, my Father does the same for me.
The person who gave my son that video for a gift was married to my first husband’s brother. I didn’t know her very well, so it took boldness on her part to give that as a gift. She was also someone who was able to guide me to scripture after my first husband’s death.
We are to be ambassadors of Christ. He wants to work through us to bring Him glory. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us, He has called us out of His darkness into His wonderful light. What are you doing to shine that light? One of our callings is to share the light of Jesus by spreading the Gospel in some way to our broken world; not a select few, but all of us. Is there someone in your life whose salvation you have been praying for that you might be able to reach through one of their children or grandchildren? I am a perfect example how something meant for a child opened my eyes to how I needed Jesus to fill my heart.
Can you think of one person in your circle of friends/family that is in need of intercessory prayer? What are some creative ways you can share Jesus with them? There are numerous Christian movies on streaming services. You might be able to send a link to one of them that could speak to them. Either they watch it or they don’t. You never know what seed you might be planting if you don’t act on that gut feeling and share with them something that speaks to you.
In less than a week, we celebrate the birth of Christ. December 25th isn’t about all of the physical gifts we might receive, but the gift of our Savior born into our world to save us. When I accepted Jesus into that hole in my heart, the Holy Spirit came upon me and Jesus was born within me (1 John 3:24). As believers He has touched our lives so that we can change the world with one prayer and one person at a time. This is the perfect opportunity to invite others to church with us or share an online link to watch on their own.
Father God,
Forgive me when I let fear of what others might think, stop me from sharing the Gospel with them. I ask for wisdom and gentleness on how to share the love of Jesus with someone who doesn’t know You. Only You can speak to the lost in creative ways such as a child’s video or movie. Thank You for the intercessory prayers that led me to You. Help me to be that person for someone else. I know that You care for every lost soul. I pray for hearts to be softened to receive Your love. It is in the name of Jesus that I pray these things.Amen.
December Verse
“In him was life, and the life was the light of men.”—John 1:4 (ESV)
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