“WRESTLING IN PRAYER”

7 “In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence.”

Hebrews 5:7

In our previous blog, we discussed apathy as a serious challenge in evangelism. Many people these days just don’t care about God or the Bible. But how can we help others see their need for our Savior? Let me give you an important thought to ponder.

Wrestle in prayer.

Prayer is the foremost act of preparation that must be established in any evangelistic endeavor. It shows our dependence on God and a plea for His mercy.

Today's verse highlights the Lord's humanity, as seen in His agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before the Romans came to take Him. Jesus' prayers were marked with utter dependence on God.

The Lord Jesus Christ prayed fervently, not that He might be saved from pain and death. He knew that He had to die to make the salvation of sinners possible. He prayed that the Father’s will be done, even if it meant enduring human barbarism and brutality. He placed a high priority on His relationship with the Father, so He always set aside a special moment of prayer with Him. We can see this truth in the fervency of His intercession in the High Priestly Prayer (John 17). He took the battle to the right venue: in the spiritual realm.

Keep in mind that evangelism is spiritual warfare. Paul reminds us that our fight is not against flesh and blood but an organized spiritual group (Ephesians 6:12). For this reason, not only should we be aware of who our enemy is, we also need to be tactical—we have to put on the whole armor of God. The adversary is so smart and stealthy that he can use almost anything to his advantage. Therefore, we should grapple with this formidable enemy in prayer (Ephesians 6:18), knowing that we can’t disarm him on our own. We need the Holy Spirit. 

And since evangelism is spiritual warfare, we should prepare ourselves for possible roadblocks and ask God to work in the hearts of those we want to reach. In this case, the people’s lack of concern and interest in God is a serious challenge. Only God can convict them of sin and soften their hearts for the Gospel. So, we must invest our time in praying earnestly for people to come to the Lord. When it comes to preparing for evangelism, there is no substitute for humble, Spirit-filled prayer.

How passionate is your prayer for unbelieving family and friends? 

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Spenser Sembrat on Unsplash