God is preparing spiritual seekers for you to meet
Trevor is a disciple-maker in Eastern Europe and part of CDM's Coached Team. He goes on regular prayer walks with some friends around their city. Little did they know they would meet Monica, who God had been preparing to receive His Word, on one of their walks. Here's Monica's story!
Prayer Walks Led to a Spiritual Encounter
One Wednesday morning, some friends and I went on a prayer walk. As we sat on a park bench, a young lady named Monica approached us. She explained to us that she lost her job recently because of COVID and filed for unemployment, but hadn't received any money yet. She needed financial help.
"We're glad to help—could we take you to the store?" we offered.
Monica stepped off her bike, "Well, you could, but I can't really carry groceries with me right now."
I don't usually like to give handouts directly. "Actually, we're sitting here right now praying for people and this city. This might sound crazy but could we pray for you?
Monica's face lit up, "Yeah! That would be awesome."
"Well, what can we pray for?" I expected her to say something about finding a new job or financial provision.
Instead, Monica's words surprised me. "Would you pray that I could find inner peace?"
So, we prayed that God's would grant Monica His peace.
God Was Already at Work Before We Met Monica
I asked her, "Is it okay if I ask you—do you believe that the God I prayed to, the God of the Bible, is really there and hears us?"
"I really do think He does." Monica continued, "Over the last couple of years, I started looking into different religions because I felt empty. I looked into Buddhism and realized that wouldn't work for me. I tried meditation and Yoga—that didn't help either. Most recently, I started reading the Bible."
Wow, I thought. "You started reading the Bible? Well, are there stories that you read that you liked?"
Monica pondered for a moment. "I think you call them the Gospels? I really like the stories about Jesus!"
We Didn't Even Have to Invite Her to DBS!
Around this point, she discovered we were from America. "Why did you guys move over here?" she questioned.
"To make it really short," I explained, "what we are doing is trying to help people have a chance to open the Bible and discover who God is, who they are, and what it means for them today."
Before I had a chance to invite her to a Discovery Bible Study (DBS), Monica interjected: "Can we do that together?"
The next week, my wife and I met with Monica for our first DBS on the Creation story in Genesis. Monica, having never read this passage before, had some exciting takeaways: "God is so creative and generous because He made all of this, and He lets us humans be a part of it! And He trusts us too, because He was willing to put part of His image inside of us!"
When we explored how we could obey what we learned, she remarked, "God has human characteristics. The Bible says He hears and sees us. It seems like He is a God with whom we can communicate. This week I will try to talk to Him!"
I asked her who she could share the story with. She said she would share it with her parents, with whom she currently lives, and her 5-year-old son!
As our friendship grew, we learned that her tough past led to the consequences she lives with today. I've been calling her regularly to stay in touch, but communication has fallen through. We need people to pray for Monica to continue strong with reading and obeying God's Word!
Lessons Learned:
Monica and Trevor's story shows how God blesses us with divine encounters when we make ourselves available to outside of our house. Trevor and his friends didn't do anything especially remarkable. They simply prayed for God to move while walking and sitting around the city. God led Monica to cross their paths and start a DBS with them! In addition, God prepares the hearts of unbelievers long before we interact with them. God was already using the emptiness Monica felt to lead her into His Word, before anyone had told her about Him! Trevor didn't so much as have to make an invitation—Monica was eager to dive into and apply Scripture to her life! Where can you put yourself out there so that God can use you this week? Maybe you could sit at a coffee shop and look for people who are interested in a conversation. Maybe your neighbors will be sitting outside as the weather warms up. Take that little step of faith and have a casual conversation. You never know where God is already working!
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Are you ready to engage the lost, but struggling to find good ways to do so during the lockdown? In this podcast, we show you how it's not only possible to make disciples in this time, but might even be the best time to! It's just about having the faith to step out and do it. Listen here.