Pastor's Blog

Lost Friends

Posted on September 2, 2009 by Pastor Tom

I once had a friend I’ll call Jim. He was a missionary kid who had lots of great stories. He also seemed to have a great passion for Christ. But then things changed. I could sense a hardening towards God, Christians and the church. It seemed like the more he rejected all he grew up with, the happier he got. I eventually lost contact with him and do not know where he’s at today.

As a Christian who believes that in Christ we discover our greatest satisfaction and ultimate hope, it is hard to see friends turn away like that. Its hard when we see that happen in our families to those close to us. At times all we can do is pray. We hope for a gradual thawing.

But sometimes, God comes in with a 1000 degrees of heat to transform a heart that was ice cold to God into a white hot passion for Him. Such was the case with the woman at the well in John 4.

She came to the well at noon when none of the other women were there. She wanted to avoid them because of her reputation and her lifestyle. She had had 5 husbands and was now living with her boyfriend. Yet in a few minute encounter with Jesus she was transformed into a follower of Christ and boldly proclaimed it in her village.

When Jesus’ disciples returned from the town and were surprised to find him talking to a woman, they eventually get into a discussion. Jesus talks to them about harvest. “Four months more and then the harvest.”

Normal farming involves four months from sowing the seed to reaping the harvest. “Normal” thawing of a frozen heart might require 4 years or 40 years of prayer and patience. But then Jesus says “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may be glad together!”

In other words, God has the ability to shrink down the normal time of planting, watering, weeding and harvesting from 4 months to 4 minutes! If you’ve got a lost friend or family member, God might have you on the 40 or 4 year plan of prayer for a thawing. But don’t discount the reality that God can do it in 4 seconds!

I pray that for Jim today wherever he might be.

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