One of the ministry activities we’ve done a few times in Santa Rosa is to take signs that say things like: “Times are dark. Jesus is the light. Free prayer.” and we would stand on street corners offering prayer.
The first time, nobody stopped at our corner. We got some honks of approval. One lady stopped and told us that she doesn’t need Jesus, but it’s great that we do. But nobody stopped to talk to us. It’s easy to feel like that’s a waste of time. Why were we even out there if nobody is going to talk to us?
But in that case, I still see that we were a presence. We were a light in the darkness. People who drove by got to see that there are people out there offering the light of Jesus. It’s honestly a much more positive message than many messages we all see in our daily lives, at least in my opinion. So I don’t get trapped in that lie that standing on that corner didn’t matter. It mattered to show others that Jesus has something to offer in their lives.
And then another time we were inundated with people searching for something, not necessarily prayer, but conversations and questions about Jesus. We talked to some believers with difficult beliefs about God, some nonbelievers who really don’t even know who this Jesus guy is, and some people who might even have been possessed by demons. From what I’ve learned, demons are often attracted to the light for a multitude of reasons.
If we had given up after the first time, that day wouldn’t have happened. If we had been discouraged by the lack of interest in prayer at one corner on one day then we wouldn’t have tried it again and had some conversations with people who need the hope of Jesus.
This blog is kind of a short blog, but the message is big: Don’t give up on spreading the love of Jesus.
It doesn’t matter what society looks like today. It doesn’t matter what the world says and does. I’m only responsible for what I do. I’m only accountable for how I loved in the world.
Don’t give up on the world, on a person, or on a single street corner. God never gave up on us.
And prayer is very powerful.
