Anyone who has ever had the privilege of sharing the Gospel with someone knows that the enemy often presents the most challenging of circumstances to detract from the truth of salvation. Today I had a young lady that I've recently met, over to the house, for the express purpose of sharing the hope we have in Christ. Not long after we began talking, I was summoned upstairs by the cries of my almost two-year old son, who revealed that he had been in my make-up bag due to his camouflaged visage. Perhaps the horror on my countenance reminded him that he knew better, because he immediately began telling himself, "No! No!" As I traced the smears of cream foundation on my bedroom door and carpet (not to mention the shredded sponge applicator strewn like crumbs) back to the scene of the crime, I thought to myself, My precious opportunity to share is slipping away! Lord, I prayed, You are the one that draws men to Yourself, and You do the work of salvation...Let me not worry.
He who would see to it that the name of the Lord be kept silent ultimately failed in his attempts to foil a fruitful conversation. The Lord knew exactly what this young lady needed to hear. While attending to my soiled carpet and my soiled and disobedient child, the Lord brought comfort and a clear presentation of the Gospel to my guest through the tender compassion of my husband, who had come downstairs to make coffee. I returned to my guest to find that she had felt safety to weep, eagerness to listen, and willingness to consider. I had prayed and spent much time preparing for my time with this guest; yet, in the end, God orchestrated the right words, the right timing, and even the right distractions.
When you trust that the work of salvation is of the Lord, there is no fear in letting someone go without "praying the prayer." Let it marinate. The truth soaks in and the Spirit does the softening of the heart. Let us be faithful to share the whole of the Gospel, and let the Lord bring the harvest. Every soul that turns to Him is by His glory and to His glory--nothing, not even toddlers and cosmetics, can hinder His use of an available messenger to deliver a transforming message.
