Author : Keith Sharp
One of my most treasured childhood memories is of Daddy Sprott, my maternal grandfather, as we gathered in the evening around the pot belly stove in the living room of his little four room farmhouse on forty acres of rocky hill top in the Arkansas Ozarks. After Mama Sprott had read a chapter from the Bible, Daddy Sprott, in work shirt and overalls, would get out of his rocking chair, kneel on the floor, and pray. It seemed to me as a child that he prayed a very long time. His words were not eloquent; he had been a Southwest Texas cowboy, goat herder, bee keeper, and truck driver. But his heart was in his words. Over half a century later, this vision still can bring a tear to my eye.
The ability to save the lost does not reside in us. Paul was an apostle of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:1). Apollos was “an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24). But Paul informed the brethren at Corinth:
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:5-7).
God wills that all people everywhere be saved (1 Timothy 2:3-4). As we do His will, the Lord works in us “both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). And He “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20). If we want to be successful in our efforts to bring the lost to Christ, we must rely upon the Lord.
We rely upon the Lord by simply preaching and teaching the gospel to the lost rather than employing benevolence and entertainment as attractions to the lost. God does not use such carnal enticements (John 6:26-27; Romans 8:5-8). Rather, “the gospel of Christ …is the power of God to salvation” (Romans 1:16-17). To attract the world to Christ, we must lift Him up before them (John 12:32).
But, to reach a lost and dying world with the saving message of the gospel, we must depend upon the providence of God. By “providence of God” I mean the forethought, rule, and care God exercises in all things. The Lord God exercises sovereign rule over the universe (Acts 17:24-31). The ultimate purpose of His rule is “that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth” (Ephesians 1:10) in order “that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:12).
Both in ancient times and today God rules the nations to bring to pass His will (Daniel 4:17,23-26,31-32,34-35,37; Revelation 19:11-16). When Daniel saw that the time had come for Israel to the restored, he prayed fervently that God would fulfill His promise (Daniel 9:1-19), and the Lord God did so (Ezra 2:1,70). In the good providence of God, the nations were so ordered in the first century that the gospel could be spread to the world in that one generation (Galatians 4:4; Colossians 1:5-6,23).
When we responded in obedient faith to the Savior’s invitation, it was to enter fellowship with God (1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 1:3). There is no deeper recognition of that fellowship than prayer, as we “draw near” to God “with a true heart in full assurance of faith” (Hebrews 10:22). In fact, the entire life of the Christian is a pilgrimage by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7). Prayer is the fullest expression of that dependent trust. When the Master taught His disciples the importance of prayer, He used the term “faith” to denote persistent prayer (Luke 18:1-8). We must “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Thus, it is imperative that we pray for the success of the gospel.
Jesus taught the disciples to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10). Since God wills that all people everywhere be saved, this request is, above all else, a plea for the salvation of all mankind.
As he observed the weary, scattered multitudes in Palestine, the Master declared to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” (Matthew 9:36-38). Both at home and abroad, the world is filled with spiritually scattered throngs weary of the fruit of sin. The harvest is overwhelmingly immense. Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send His laborers throughout the world, into every corner of the field. The Master obeyed His Father and helped answer His own prayer by sending the seventy around Palestine (Luke 10:1-2). We also must help send out laborers.
When the Jewish council forbade Peter and John to preach in the name of Jesus and severely threatened them if they did so, having defied the council, they returned to the disciples and reported these events. They all with “one accord” prayed, “Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word.” (Acts 4:29). The Lord emphatically granted their request (verse 31). We also should pray that evangelists will boldly speak all the truth rather than timidly withholding what is unpopular (Ephesians 6:19-20).
The brethren in Antioch sent Barnabas and Saul out with prayer to take the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 13:1-3). We, likewise, should send out preachers with prayer that God would be with them in their endeavors.
We should pray for the salvation of the lost (Romans 10:1). The apostle Paul exhorted the Christians in Colosse:
Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. (Colossians 4:2-4).
An open door stands for opportunities to preach to the lost (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:8-9). We should pray that the Lord would open doors to reach the lost and that preachers and teachers of His word would speak the truth so plainly that the lost will comprehend the will of God.
The apostle requested of the Thessalonians:
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you, and that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men; for not all have faith. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2)
We should pray for the rapid spread of the gospel by ministers of the word, that the word of God might be glorified. We should pray that men of God be delivered from the persecutions and opposition of unreasonable men who refuse to believe (cf. also Romans 15:30-32). The prayers of saints are a mighty help in delivering preachers of the gospel from tribulations (2 Corinthians 1:8-11).
A primary reason for praying for civil rulers is that we may “lead a quiet and peaceful life” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). These conditions are ideal for the spread of the gospel.
Preachers should daily thank God for those who support them in their work (Philippians 1:3-5; 4:15-16) and pray God’s blessings upon them (Colossians 1:9-12; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-4).
We must ever remember that our success in reaching the lost for Christ is in the hands of God, and we are but His instruments. Thus we will rely on the power of the gospel rather than carnal inducements to attract sinners, and we will pray the Lord of harvest for success as we labor in His vineyard.
Pray that laborers might go out to the harvest. Pray for the preachers who works with the congregation where you are a member. Prayer for preachers whom you help support. Pray for all who labor in teaching the lost. Pray for the lost to be saved. Pray for civil rulers. Pray that the gospel might be taken to the whole world in our time.
