Not a lost cause

     Have you ever used the words "lost cause" or "beyond hope"? I can say that I absolutely have, more than once, about more than one situation.

    There would be people or circumstances that I would be praying about over and over again, sometimes for years. And, when I didn't see results, I would just chalk it up to "They'll never change", or "this is a lost cause", or "I've given up hope on them."  It was frustrating and disheartening because sometimes it made me feel like God wasn't listening. I wondered why my prayers were not being answered, especially because they were prayers for good things. It wasn't like I was sitting there going "Please God let me win the lottery," I'm talking, "Please God let that person find a job so they can support their kids", or "Lord please change that emotionally abusive person's heart and how they treat their family" kind of prayers. So, when you are praying that way and nothing changes, it can make you question things.

    One day I was praying for a particular person that certain things would change. I had been praying this for a long time because they were, however unintentionally, hurting their family. They were very stubborn and didn't think that there was anything wrong with their behavior, despite being told otherwise by several people. It was frustrating and sad because this person was blind to the damage that they were doing. After a really long time of praying the same thing over and over and seeing nothing, I just lost my patience and said, "This person is beyond hope."

    Instantly, and I mean instantly, I felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit speaking to me on this one. By saying that someone was beyond hope, I was essentially saying that God couldn't be God, and they were beyond God's reach. I was saying that whatever was going on with this person or their circumstances was impossible for God to reconcile. And I felt like that was borderline blasphemous because God's word flat out tells us that NOTHING is impossible with him!

    I felt that spiritual slap on the wrist because I know that nothing is impossible with God. I know the redemption that he has done in my life and in my heart, and I'm sure that, at some point people thought that I was "beyond hope" and a "lost cause." So, who was I to say that someone of God's reach?

    I knew what I saw- the behavior patterns over a long time frame, I saw current behaviors and choices. But, there was also a lot that I did not, and can not see. I can't see what God is doing in someone's heart or in their life, I don't see or hear conversations tat God has orchestrated to make them feel conviction.

    I needed to change the way that I was praying! Not for one moment did I want to assume that God could not change what was happening, or use any of it for his good or his glory. So, I just started being honest with God when I prayed. "God, I know what I see. These are the behaviors and choices that I see and the words that I hear. But I trust that you are doing so much more that I can't see. I know this person loves you and carries you in their heart. I ask that you would cause such conviction within them that they would be obedient to what your word says, and to be the person that YOU have called them to be."

    My trust needed to be in the Lord, not in results that I may or may not see. God is always working, and he gives us free will. So yes, we have a choice to hitch our wagon to his or not. And, the reality is that none of us can make someone do something, even if we know it is probably what is best for them (ask any parent). Only God can do that. I needed to lay my expectations down and just ask the Lord to continue his work in this person's heart and life that they may come to repentance.

    None of us is hopeless. None of us is a lost cause. And none of us are beyond repair, redemption, or God's reach.