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Day 15

Pastor Stefan Davis

Topic: Lost Family Members

Scripture Reference: John 4:35

Devotional:

As followers of Jesus, we must be mindful to avoid misunderstanding the voice of the Lord. The disciples initially responded to the conversational leadership of Jesus with a lack of understanding. When the Lord speaks to us today, we must purposefully avoid intellectual conclusions or innocent lack of understanding. Our response to the Lord must include inviting the Holy Spirit and the Holy Scriptures to shape our understanding through a spirit of wisdom and revelation (see Ephesians 1:18).

Jesus elevated the disciples’ understanding by removing a veil to a hidden reality of Jesus’ food not consumed through the physical body, but His hunger fed by obedience to the Father (see John 4:34). In a moment, Jesus shifted the disciples’ focus from hunger of the body to hunger of the spirit. Jesus saw beyond the natural to the internal condition of the heart.

In John 4:35, Jesus followed this pattern of conversational leadership with His disciples by stating another supernatural reality and not one of a tangible physical existence. Jesus didn’t speak about harvest fields of wheat but fields of souls. He said to see the eternal harvest you must lift up your eyes. I’m reminded of David’s third Psalm when he confesses the Lord is his shield, glory, and the lifter his head. Our response should be to ask the Lord to open our eyes to His vantage point and clarity of sight to see what He sees.

Today, we are praying and focusing on our lost family members. When family members choose unrighteousness, possess a low view of Scripture, or affirm unbiblical truths, it becomes our choice and God-given opportunity to respond in love and compassion rather than judgment and condemnation. We have an invitation from the Lord to lift our heads and see the condition of the hearts of lost family members just as Jesus does. It’s easy in our culture to dismiss the burden or responsibility to first pray and second be an ambassador of Christ to our broken family members, systems, or cultures. Jesus said don’t so quickly assume the harvest is months away, but salvation is at hand (see Romans 13:11). Our role is to partner with the Spirit of Christ, that He would soften hearts so Jesus might be made Lord and Savior of our lost family members’ lives.

Let’s take time to pray:

Lord, I confess my tendency to focus on myself and avoid people or situations that feel awkward. I confess my tendency to say it’s too hard to keep praying for family members who persecute or dismiss me for my faith. I recognize as David prayed in Psalm 3 that You are the lifter of my head. Lord, lift my head so that I would see my family members with compassion and respond in prayer for their souls to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Lord, give me an open door to my lost family members to speak truth in love about the miraculous free gift of salvation You provide through Your death and resurrection.