Intercessory Prayer
Make a list of those you hope to reach with the Adventist message. Ask Jesus who you should put on the list. Often people in transition or trouble are most open to spiritual influences. Begin praying that God will bless them each day and open their hearts and minds to accept Jesus and embrace the message of His soon return.
A 20-something sits in a bar Friday night and lifts a beer to his lips. All of a sudden a song he learned in Kindergarten Sabbath School floods his mind—“God made the beautiful rainbow, I know, I know….” Across town his mother is on her knees praying that her son will have a conversion experience.
A single mom works two jobs to try to make ends meet. She cries out to God to help her survive the challenges of each day. Her co-worker, a Seventh-day Adventist, is praying one morning and has an overwhelming impression to talk to her about Jesus and the hope of His return, and to invite her to lunch that day.
The Bible shows us that God is far more intimately involved in the daily salvation of people around us, and the redemption of the human race, than we ever dreamed, because He is “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). In heaven someday we will discover how prayer really is “the key, in the hand of faith that unlocks heaven’s storehouse” (Steps to Christ, p. 94).
The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mt. Carmel in 1 Kings 18 gives us a glimpse into how prayer works in The Great Controversy between Christ and Satan. According to the story, it is not how many people are praying, how long we pray, or how intensely we pray that matters. The most important thing about prayer is who we pray to.
Before praying, why not take a few minutes to reflect on who you are about to talk to? Then ask Him to show you those around you who are most receptive to the Adventist message right now.
(For more insights on intercessory prayer, read Steps to Christ, chapter 11, "The Privilege of Prayer," pp. 93–104 and The Great Controversy, p. 525).
Luke Warm takes in a movie, watches TV, surfs the Internet, plays a video game or reads the newspaper, but he never seems to have time for prayer. "Prayer doesn't work, so why waste your time with it," he says.
During his personal communion with God through Bible study and prayer, Victor N. Christ asks God to show him people in his life who are receptive to Jesus and the Adventist message. He makes a list of five people or families and begins praying for them every day.
