Praying for Gospel Opportunities
Many Christians have found the morning to be a wonderful time to commune with God. After waking up and perhaps getting a coffee, Believers will find somewhere comfortable to sit, and then begin to read their Bible and pray.
As the coffee is sipped upon, perhaps a few words of prayer will begin to form, “Lord, thank you for another day. This day I ask that you please bless…” and with that, the prayers become about the needs and concerns for the day.
Something I have found is that often in our prayers we can be very self-centred, that is, we pray for our desires, comfort and ease. I know this can be the case because I often look at my prayers and hang my head in shame. Instead of spending time praying for others, I will spend more time praying for myself. Now there is certainly nothing wrong with praying about our day, and our needs. We should bring our requests before the Lord knowing that He cares for us, and He delights in hearing from us. However, I would suggest that if our prayers are merely about ourselves, then something is wrong with our Christian walk.
As spiritually healthy Christians we should be outwardly focused, not just inward. As we read our Bibles, something that should strike us is that our God delights in saving sinners; from cover to cover we see the thread of redemption. Everything in the Old Testament points forward to the coming of the Lord Jesus, and then everything in the New Testament points back to Him. All of the Scripture revolves around Him, and the work He came to do.
When we read the Scripture, and we see this picture of God’s love and redemption, we should have our desires changed to become more like our Saviour. We see that Jesus seeks and saves the lost (Luke 19:10), so we too should seek the conversion of the lost. We see that Christ humbled Himself, that is, He lowered Himself to come and rescue sinners like you and I (Philippians 2:5-11), and we too should imitate Him in that we must be willing to put ourselves out to reach the lost.
But how should we do this?
One wrong way to evangelise would be by rushing out to share the gospel without praying. Let me say that from personal experience this kind of evangelism will not work as it is trusting in the flesh; ultimately this kind of evangelism stinks with pride because it is trusting in our efforts and abilities. Take it from someone who has been there and done that – DO NOT engage in evangelism in this manner.
Rather, I would suggest that before we seek to talk to people about God, that we talk to God about people. We know that the Lord desires the conversion of the lost, so let us seek Him before we go out and evangelise. Let’s ask Him for wisdom, guidance, and power in our witnessing.
Daily, as we sip our coffees and read our Bibles, we should pray to the Lord for opportunities to share the gospel (WARNING: Praying this type of prayer will result in gospel opportunities. Be ready!). As our day begins, we should pray, “Lord, thank you for saving me. Please today, let me have an opportunity to share about your love and grace.” Then after praying a prayer like that, put works to your faith (James 2:17) by preparing to witness. For instance, you might carry tracts or a Gospel with you which can be given away. Maybe you will decide to go to a place where you know unbelievers will be. The point is, if you are going to pray for openings, then you need to act upon that prayer by being ready to evangelise.
I once heard Gary Cobb recommend that each morning, we should pray for gospel opportunities. He suggested praying what he calls the “Three Open Prayer.”
Pray…
1) Lord, open a door to share the gospel.
2) Lord, open the heart of the lost to receive the gospel.
3) Lord, open my mouth to share the gospel.
Let me challenge you – each day pray for opportunities to make much for Jesus. Then, after praying about it, look for open doors to share the good news. Always be ready, because the Lord answers these kinds of prayers.