My heart broke then and continued to break.
But aren't you glad that Jesus never gives up on us? This past week, my family and I did a revival in south Louisiana and that dear person was in attendance every night. He listened to dozens of songs that proclaimed the great love of God and he heard many sermons calling all sinners to repent and turn to Jesus. I knew that the Lord was surely dealing with him and spent all week hoping and praying that he would surrender.
His story is amazing. Years of running and years of living in sin finally took their toll and he was tired of living the way he was living. Bro. Jack Daniels puts it perfectly when he says, "No one will ever change until the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change." My uncle Brandon was tired of staying the same. He told us that as the invitation began, he prayed, heavily under conviction, that God would give him a sign. As he finished his prayer and looked up, God gave him the very sign he asked for. So he came down and, with tears flowing, he knelt at the alter and asked Jesus to forgive him, change him, heal him, and save him!
....and He did!
One of the most beautiful things, to me, is the look on a person's face when they have encountered Jesus for the first time. After my uncle rose up, his whole countenance was different. His smile was real. His eyes twinkled. His manner was warm, instead of cold. And he was full of joy!...and it showed!
Sceptics say that prayer is not as important as it used to be. I beg to differ. I have seen the power of prayer. Over and over again in Scripture, Christ tells us to pray. Pray continually, without stopping. We are to storm the doors of heaven with intercessory prayer for the lost, the broken, the poor, the needy; we are to bombard God's ears with prayers of faith. Christ WANTS to hear His children pray. He wants us to believe He can do all things. He DOES hear. He does care. And He does still answer prayers!
2 Peter 3:9
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
Wow! *Happy tears* I so wish I could have been there! Praise God!
ReplyDeleteThat is *glorious* news!
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the quote you shared:
"No one will ever change until the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of change."
That is *so* true!