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Don’t Judge, But Pray That They Will Be Hungry, That They Will Seek and Find – Ray E Horton
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matt. 5:6); “seek, and you will find” (Matt. 7:7). God honors those who seek Him, who are hungry and thirsty for Him. Jesus said they will find Him, they shall be filled, and find the fulfillment of the desires He has placed within them: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you” (Matt. 6:33).
Many are hungry for more of God, and seeking wherever they know to seek, yet have not found Him yet, or have not been filled. They often have not been taught, and they do not know where to look. Saul was seeking God by persecuting Christians, even killing them, before his encounter with the Lord when he was knocked off his horse and became the great Apostle Paul. Couldn’t the same happen with ISIS terrorists? Sure! We need to pray!
My personal example is less dramatic. I was Born Again as a young child as my Catholic mother continually encouraged me to “just trust Jesus.” I was healed of asthma at age 8. I had a need, and I found Jesus. I reaffirmed my Born-Again position by going forward at a Billy Graham crusade. But, as I got older, without solid Biblical teaching, I was spiritually hungry. By my early 30s, life had become quite humdrum, and I was becoming cynical. I had dreams that were beyond routine day to day that didn’t seem to be coming to pass.
God honors when we seek, even if we do not know where to go. I stepped out in faith, believing God for more
So, one day, in my hunger for more of God, I decided to go to the noon daily mass at the Catholic church across from where I worked. God honors when we seek, even if we do not know where to go. I stepped out in faith, believing God for more. Within two weeks a church-related weekend provided a powerful spiritual experience, and a few days later, my wife and I were invited to a charismatic prayer meeting and we prayed for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It was life changing! I was filled! The Bible came alive, I had a new love for people, and I just wanted to worship the Lord. Suddenly life had new meaning. That was in 1973. It hasn’t changed.
Anyone whose heart is after God and is truly seeking Him, will find Jesus
Christians are too quick to judge other people. Is it possible to find the Lord by going to Catholic mass? Yes! It depends on your heart. If you are truly seeking, God honors that. Anyone can find Jesus and be filled to overflowing with the Holy Spirit if they are truly seeking, even if it is in a synagogue, mosque, temple of some foreign religion. These false religions bring no one to God. That mass did not bring me any closer to God. It was all in the seeking. I believe a Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, pew-sitting, non-saved Christian whose heart is after God and is truly seeking Him, will find Jesus. We need to pray.
God so loved the world. He died that they might find the truth and be set free and receive everlasting life with Him. He wants them saved. So, let us not judge the unbeliever, the wrong believer, even those who wish us ill. We cannot give up on them. You say they would need a miracle! God has a miracle waiting for them, new life in Jesus Christ. So, let us pray diligently for the lost, that those who are seeking will find. And let us pray for the laborers: He said to them, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (Luke 10:2).
We are near, if not at the doorstep of the end of the age. We have a destiny. We have a job to do – allowing Jesus to live and shine through us – being His hands and feet and mouthpiece. There is no more time for playing church. There is no more time for judging and criticizing. We do not fight the darkness; we shine the light. And that light drives out the darkness. Many will not listen to the truth. But those who are truly seeking will. Pray for the lost. Pray for divine appointments. You will find great joy and fulfillment in being used by the Lord for His glory and the building of His Kingdom.
