“Pray for One” for Real

We gravitate toward systems and programs. For some reason our experiences make more sense to us if we are able to organize them into reproducible story lines.  This can be a good thing, but it can also take away our joy and cause us to lose our way.

When I was a young boy my grandfather and I fished in several farm ponds. We had a predetermined plan for every pond, including the fish we hoped to catch, the best bait selection, where we needed to cast, and how much time we needed for the trip.  But the plan never took precedence over the fun, and we always knew our best strategies were no guarantee of success.

If we pray for God to show us the “one” in our lives who needs to know Jesus, He will. But we should be careful not to see our prayer for “one” as some sort of rabbit’s foot that “charms” people into our paths.  Yes, we should pray.  It is also good to have some basic response plans for those moments when we see God move and we have an opportunity to share His love with others.

But we are not in control and prayer is not something we use to manipulate our circumstances. Instead it is an appeal to a sovereign God to guide our steps and open our hearts to His leading.

In less than two weeks the church family I serve will enter into a new lifestyle that involves praying for “one”. I will be preaching a series called “Pray for One” based on a book of the same name by Bo Chancey.

“Pray for One” is more than a sermon series.

“Pray for One” is more than a temporary church focus.

“Pray for One” isn’t an attempt to put ourselves in the driver’s seat with a system or a program.

When we pray for “one” we are asking God to help us see what He is already doing. Every day of our lives God is working to bring believers like us into contact with people who need Jesus.

When we made our decision to follow Jesus, we also accepted His call to share Him with others. Reaching our “one” is already a part of our spiritual DNA.  In a way, learning to pray daily for our one is like gene therapy, as it strengthens our core mission.

Begin praying for your “one.” Remember, your prayer doesn’t put you in control.  Instead, it is your attempt to let God direct your steps.

This doesn’t mean we don’t need to discipline ourselves to pray daily for our “one.” Perhaps we will devise a system to help us in this regard.

Yet, our prayer will be sincere and we will trust God to show us our “one.” There is some “one” in all of our lives who is counting on it.