21 Days of Prayer for the Lost: Day 1

We are about to embark on a great adventure!  For the next 21 days we will be praying and fasting together, with a special focus on interceding for the non-Christians God has sovereignly placed in our lives.

Our hope is that this devotional will encourage, inspire, motivate and equip you to be more bold in sharing your faith and trust that God will use you to reach the lost.
When we read about the prophet Isaiah, we might be tempted to think that God called him because he had great abilities, great character, or great accomplishments.

But Isaiah knew better.  That’s not how he saw himself.  He understood that he was a sinful man of unclean lips who was completely inadequate in God’s presence (v. 5). He felt unworthy and incapable of being a spokesman for God.

So what were his qualifications as a prophet? This passage gives us two: he saw the glory of God, and his sin was forgiven.

The good news is that this describes every true Christian.

Have you beheld the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ and been humbled in his presence?

Have you received his forgiveness for your sin?

Those are the two most basic qualifications for being used by God.  It doesn’t matter how smart you are, or how educated you are.  Or how eloquent you are, or how successful you are.

The point is that God can use you and wants to use you to share the good news of the gospel.

If you think he can’t, it probably means you’ve taken your eyes off the Lord. Look back at Isaiah’s vision in verses 1-3.  Do you see God seated upon the throne, high and lifted up? The power is his. The glory is his. The message is his.  The results are his.  All God is looking for is someone who’s available.

In the Old Testament, Moses, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah doubted God could use them.  But God is able to speak through a donkey if he wants to.  He told those men, “I will be with you.”

And the same is true for us.

The question is not if God can use you, but do you want him to use you?  Will you obey his calling?  Will you accept his invitation?  Will you answer from the bottom of your heart and say: “Here I am, Lord, send me!”?

Things to pray for today:

• Praise God for his glory, power and holiness.
• Ask God to show you what’s really keeping you from sharing your faith.
• Ask God to help you present yourself to him as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1-2).
• If you’re ready and willing for God to use you, pray this prayer: “Here I am, Lord, send me!”

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.