Tears for the Lost

“O’Hare Airport,” I instructed the driver as I jumped into the backseat of a cab. It had been a long two weeks in downtown Chicago, where I was working on a consulting assignment, and I was eager to get home to see my husband and attend the Brownsville Revival.

I was also tired. Just about the last thing I wanted to do was engage in conversation with the cab driver. Nevertheless, as I poised myself for a quiet ride to the airport, a disturbing thought began to plague me: If the cab driver weren’t right with God, he was bound for hell.

Reluctantly, I began to speak to him. At the same time, I prayed in silence for an opening to talk to him about the condition of his soul.

When the opportunity came, I seized it–and he listened intently as spoke to him about his need for Christ. Then he shared with me some of the details of his life and asked questions.

As we approached the airport another thought came to me: “Ask him if he’s ready to give his life to Christ.”

“Surely, he’s not,” I reasoned within. “We’ve had so little time to talk.”

But, having a few minutes to spare, I took the plunge and asked.

Without hesitation, he said yes!

At first I thought he must not have understood me–this was too easy!

So I clarified what it meant to become a Christian. He again affirmed that he was ready.

We prayed together. Afterward, he was so excited he could hardly wait to go home, rid himself of sin and then get committed to a local church!

Although not every witnessing experience turns out this way, the fact remains that people around us die and go to hell every day, not because they say no to God but because we don’t bother to share the gospel with them. We all have excuses: “Too busy.” “Don’t know enough.” “Not my calling.” “Afraid.” “No good at talking to strangers.”

Sound familiar? Whatever the excuse, the reason usually boils down to fear and a lack of compassion.

That was the case with me. At the time I began Bible school, I had not led one person to Christ, even though I had always known and lived for Jesus.

But I experienced a major turning point when I heard an evangelist preach a message about having a heart for the unsaved. The only thing I remember her saying was that we should have tears (of intercession and compassion) for the lost. If we didn’t, we should ask the Father to give them to us.

Convicted, I knelt down and prayed, “Lord, I didn’t know I was to have tears for the lost. I don’t have those tears; would You please give them to me? Help me to feel Your heartbeat for those who don’t know You.”

I soon noticed a dramatic change. At times I would weep in church services for no apparent reason. At other times, a burden for the lost would come upon me, and I would have to stop what I was doing to weep and intercede for their souls.

Compassion became a motivating force that compelled me to reach out to people in spite of my fears. It wasn’t long before I was leading people to Christ and watching their lives being transformed before my eyes.

As I boarded the plane that day in Chicago, tears streamed down my face. This time it was tears of joy and thankfulness. Joy, for the new soul that had come to Christ. Thankfulness, that the Lord used me to make an eternal difference in someone’s life and that I had not missed a divine appointment.

A man sitting near me on the plane asked about my tears, and once again I found myself sharing the gospel with a person in need.

When was the last time you cried tears for the lost? Jesus said, “Everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks [the door] will be opened” (Matt. 7:8, NKJV). Why not ask Him today to give you His heart for His wayward sheep?

PRAYER POWER

Pray that the Lord would give you His heart for the lost, first as you pray and intercede, then as you become sensitive to the opportunities to share Him with those He puts in your path. Matt. 9:37-38; Matt. 19:13-14