30 Days of Prayer: Day 3

Jesus saw the crowds.

Jesus felt compassion for the crowds.

Matthew explains why.  Chapter 9 verse 36:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Sometimes I wonder how I see people who are without Christ.  I wonder if I truly see them as God sees them.

I wonder if it’s possible to see their spiritual condition in the same that Jesus saw that of those crowds.

He saw their spiritual condition.

Harassed, helpless, without a shepherd.

As a Christian, I know the Good Shepherd.  He’s been leading my life since I was 15.  I’ve known the blessing of His care, the provision from His supply, and the bountiful forgiveness of my sin.

Think of your friends who are without Christ, who don’t know Christ as the Good Shepherd.

Do you see their spiritual condition?

I wonder if it’s possible to cultivate the heart of God by learning to see people as God sees them.

I believe it is.

Sitting in prayer, or walking in prayer, or standing in prayer, the form doesn’t matter.

It’s connecting with the heart of God in prayer that I begin to grow the spiritual vision to see what God sees.

Christ for the world we sing,
the world to Christ we bring,
with fervent prayer;
the wayward and the lost,
by restless passions tossed,
redeemed at countless cost,
from dark despair.
— Christ for the World We Sing,  Samuel Wolcott

This is the heart we need to cultivate.

Today’s prayer

Lord, I want to see people as you see them, harrassed and helpless, without a shepherd.  I want to see them without judgment, without writing them off, but only as you see them.

I’ve got friends that I love deeply.  Friends who don’t know you, who don’t follow you, who don’t know you as the Good Shepherd.

Give me the spiritual eyes to see their condition and allow that to drive me further into prayer that they may come to know you, one by one, and use me to reach them.

Today’s action

Read Make a Prayer list of friends.

Create a list of names of people that you want to pray for their salvation during this 30 days of prayer.

If you haven’t yet gotten a prayer journal to write down what you think the Lord shares with you, do so today.