Sharing the Gospel through Prayer
Everybody goes through things in life where they could use some prayer for.
How many of us get a bit intimidated when sharing our Christian faith with others? I know I personally do. God has called us to tell other people about Him. Towards the end of the book of Matthew, Jesus declared these words to His disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you" (Matt. 28:19-20 ESV). Jesus clearly desired that His disciples would share the gospel (also known as the "good news") with other people. And it's a mandate that has been passed on to us today as we continue in this lineage of being Christ followers.
But sharing our faith with others can be a daunting task, isn't it? I personally get worried about what I'm going to say to people. I can become afraid that our conversation isn't going to go very well. Sharing your faith with others can certainly be an intimidating experience. Trusting God and having lots of practice and exposure to sharing the gospel would definitely help make things easier in the long run. But is there something we can do today to make things a little bit easier as we attempt to tell people about Jesus? A simple and easy way to begin sharing the gospel with others is this: offering to pray for them.
Everybody goes through things in life where they could use some prayer for. I've discovered that people are quite open to prayer and to asking God to help them in their various situations in life. A person might be going through financial issues, or a health challenge, or a relational problem, or a difficult school exam, or an intimidating driver's license test. There are so many things that people could possibly be going through in life. Prayer then becomes a welcomed gift as we help them seek the Lord for help in these circumstances. In all my years of offering prayer to people, I have rarely met a person who turned down prayer (and I have never met anyone who became hostile when offered it). I have found that prayer is a welcomed gift the vast majority of the time.
Offering prayer is a simple and easy way to introduce God to people and deliver good news. The good news is that God cares about the things that they care about too. The good news is that God is in control. The good news is that God is more than capable of helping people in their problems and distresses. God can show up in the midst of their trials and challenges of life and prayer becomes the way for us to ask Him to do just that.
When I pray for people, I put evangelism (sharing the gospel) in God's hands. After all, it is God who will be answering these prayers through His mighty power. And if God grants the prayer request, both I and the recipient can praise the Lord together. It becomes a further opportunity for me to explain to them who Christ is and what He has done for us.
Freely offer prayer to people. It's a simple and easy way to begin sharing the good news with them.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
