At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah. 
Acts 9:20-22

---

Have you ever met someone that made you doubt God could reach them and they’d become one of His followers? Or that He would want to do so? Have you ever thought that about yourself? That you are too neck-deep in rebellion and sin to be forgiven?

I have, but I’m glad I didn’t let the questioning stop me! I might not be a disciple of Jesus today if I had believed those lies. They flooded my mind every time just before I prayed to God for help, to be forgiven, or to be saved in various situations. Just as important, even though it can be tempting, I am glad I have not believed those lies for someone else. Instead, even if they don’t want my prayers, I do my best to remember to pray for their reconciliation with Jesus. Sometimes, a person will tell me that they are too far gone or that it is too late for them to repent, including my own father. But nothing is impossible for our Father who is in Heaven, so I pray.

If Ananias believed that Paul was “too far gone”, he would not have promptly obeyed Jesus to meet Paul to help restore his eyesight. Had Ananias believed the lies like the ones I have heard, history would be different, and we might not be Christians today, as members of an eternal Church! Our obedience, prayers, and actions are important—every day.

Nothing needs to stop our prayers for ourselves and others. Nothing. God is the God of the impossible, and He has tasked everyone who has been saved to go back into the fields of our lives to be conduits of His love and grace so that as many people as possible will turn to Him. As long as a person is still alive in this world, they can be saved. And our persistent prayers often seem to be the mysterious influence that helps persuade the person to be reconciled to their Creator—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Next Steps

Who in your life needs to be reconciled to God? Ask God how you can pray for that person or people, and then ask God to help you remember to pray for them.

Continue reading through the book of Acts, along with the rest of the Willow this summer. You can find the reading plan here. Ask God to be active in your life and in the lives of those around you.