There are lots of people like that in the world. Physically they can see but spiritually they are totally blind. We see this principle at work when we witness to those who don't know Christ. After sharing the gospel with them as best we can, sometimes they will say, "I just don't see it." That's not an excuse. They truly don't see it. That's why you can talk to a lost person until you are blue in the face and it will do no good. You can quote Billy Graham, Josh McDowell, Francis Schaeffer, and if you're creative, you can throw in some John Calvin and Martin Luther. Quote Abraham Lincoln and Mike Ditka if you like. It will do no good. You can quote Scripture all day long and the lost will still be lost. Until their eyes are opened, they will not "see" the truth about Christ.
What is the answer? We must pray for the lost that God will open their eyes, give life in place of death, enable them to hear, create within them a desire to understand, give them a hunger for Jesus, and then grant them faith to believe the gospel. In short, as we prepare to share Christ with others, we must fervently pray that God will go before us. When we pray for the lost, we are saying to God, "You go first! If you don't go first, all our efforts will be in vain."
If you have a prodigal daughter, pray like this: "Lord, open the eyes of her heart so that she can see Jesus." That prayer is so simple and yet so profound. Apaqrt from God's grace, we all have the same problem. Our hearts are closed and we cannot see the truth. Only God can open the eyes of the heart. When God opens those eyes, she will see the truth and light from heaven will come flooding in. Do not focus on her going to hell. Focus your prayers on God and his power to change her heart. Ask our Father to do what only he can do--open the eyes of her heart so that she will come to know him
When you pray for a loved one who seems hardened against the Lord, pray that the eyes of their heart might be opened so that the light of God can come flooding in. And if that seems hopeless, at least it puts the hopeless case at God's doorstep, which is where it belongs. On Saturday night there was a "hopeless case" in the Garden Tomb. On Sunday morning the whole world changed. You never know what God will do, so keep on believing and keep on praying. God specializes in impossible situations, and he loves to prove that hopeless cases aren't hopeless after all.
Dr. Ray Pritchard has ministered extensively overseas and is a frequent conference speaker and guest on Christian radio and television talk shows. He has written 26 books, including An Anchor for the Soul, Man of Honor, What a Christian Believes, The ABCs of Wisdom, Keep Believing, and The God You Can Trust. Ray and Marlene, his wife of 31 years, have three sons—Josh, Mark and Nick. His hobbies include biking, surfing the Internet, and anything related to the Civil War
You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.
