7/29/2024
It is a Sunday morning in 1985 and my heavily pregnant wife struggles to clothe our two young daughters for church. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle there hardly seems to be a moment for prayer. Does this sound familiar to you? Well it was certainly a weekly occurrence at our house. In reading my devotional message this morning, Pastor E.M. Bounds wrote about how pastors should prepare themselves to preach and how we, as lay persons, should prepare ourselves for worship. He spoke of the parable of the sower and how preparing the ground allows the seed to germinate, and how unprepared soil allows Satan to ruin the prospect of a bountiful crop. He is so right in this.
“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith.”
2 Thessalonians 3:1-2 ESV
I am ashamed to say that in 1985 my wife Ann could have used my help on Sunday mornings but I was too busy wrestling with God over the benefit of organized religion and too fed up with being let down by those in positions of church authority to lend much of a hand on Sunday. It was a season in which I was struggling in my faith. It took me years of prayer before I would overcome that battle within myself, and until my night of wrestling with the angel was finally over. As I wrestled, I missed much as it related to the spiritual upbringing of my children, however, I thank God for having a righteous wife who never gave up on me... A wife who prays.
“And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day has broken." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."”
Genesis 32:24-26 ESV
“Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered."”
Genesis 32:29-30 ESV
In his writing Pastor Bounds encourages us to pray for our own pastors, so that their word will reach the bare ground and take root. But this morning I want to tell you that praying for God to soften your own heart and open your mind to His message is equally important. Beyond even that, there are many of us who are faced with a spouse who is like I was in 1985... my friends, pray for them. Underneath the veneer of disinterest, or an apparent lack of piety, lies a soul that God desires. Help prepare the soil for them through your prayers.
Just as Ann saw more faith remained in me than I saw in myself, so you should do the same for your spouse or loved one. Prayer is powerful and God hears your voice. Never cease to pray for those in the midst of a crisis of faith, or even those who are reluctant to accept God at all. What appears to be hopeless to you is a victory on the verge of being grasped by God. Don’t rob Him of His glory, and the soul that is His.
Then, as time passed, my father in law became too sick to do what he loved most… to plant his garden. So, I made a garden for him, and day after day I fruitlessly watched for the seed in that garden to germinate. But, the night before I was prepared to till the ground and replant... tiny green sprouts broke the surface. When that happened the joy was incredible!
As Christians we should be long suffering and when there are those struggling with faith in our church we should not judge them, but instead, redouble our prayers for them... Prepare the soil. Too often I have seen a bitter or self-righteous word from someone who viewed themselves as a saint sweep the seed from the field before it could take root; don't let this happen... You will be held accountable.
“Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. For if your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. By what you eat, do not destroy the one for whom Christ died. So do not let what you regard as good be spoken of as evil. For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men. So then let us pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding.”
Romans 14:13-19 ESV
This morning in our prayers let's ask God to prepare the ground for His word; let's ask Him to speak to our own souls, and let's pray for those around us... our loved ones, our fellow Christians, and the poor sinners who know Him not. I will pray this morning that when you are about to lose hope in someone, or yourself, that you will wait one more night, and one more night, and one more night... Wait on the Lord. You may prepare the soil or plant the seed... But God gives it life.
“Do not tear down God’s work because of food. Everything is clean, but it is wrong to make someone fall by what he eats. It is a good thing not to eat meat, or drink wine, or do anything that makes your brother or sister stumble. Whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves.”
Romans 14:20-22 CSB
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the prayers we pray for others, and hear our petition as we ask for you to lift them up, and restore, or save, their souls. Hear our prayers for strength and perseverance as we pray for what appears to be hopeless situations, and people. Give us patience as we go to our knees, day after day, asking for your mercy and grace to be poured out, and the ground to be prepared for the seed that is your Word, and the gospel of Jesus Christ your Son. Help us Father as we work in your fields, and tend to your crops. Only you can bring the rain to germinate the seed, but how easily we are able to destroy the harvest by our own poor efforts. Give patience to us through our faith, and a firm trust in you. Make us long suffering as you are, and give depth to our faith as we turn the soil in preparation for the arrival of your seedlings, and handiwork. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you who brings forth the rain, and raises up a fine harvest from what once was bare ground. Great are you who takes a small dry seed and gives it life through your Word… thus raising up tall trees laden with fruit, and vines heavy with grapes; a bountiful harvest where once we saw only barren ground. Help us Father to do your will that your Holy Spirit whispers to us, and to not take our hoes prematurely to the ground where your seed has been sown. Have mercy on us Abba for those souls we have turned under through our ignorance, and lack of obedience. Have mercy on our own souls for those we felt unworthy of prayer, or too far gone to save. Sprinkle your grace like a fertilizer over the weak, and water the thirsty, so that they will find life in you. In this way let tiny seeds of faith grow tall and strong as they bring you glory in their seasons of bloom and bounty. Bless us in this effort through our prayers and work in your fields, and never let us do anything that would thwart your efforts to claim, or reclaim, the souls that you desire. Save us as you will save them, and let us all dine with you forevermore in eternal joy and glory.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! … and all God’s children said… Amen.
“The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9 CSB
Rich Forbes