Recently I talked with an incarcerated man who didn’t know English when he was first locked up. He was determined to learn the language, so he grabbed the only reading material he had available to him, a Bible.
He labored over the words, struggling to understand their meaning. However, as time went on, his diligence paid off and he started to make sense of what he was reading. Yet, to his surprise, he then found himself trying to understand something else … the grace of God. He pondered the offer of forgiveness available through the shed blood of Christ. He considered if God might have a plan for his life that looked very different than the one he had been living. So, as his knowledge of English grew, so did his understanding of God’s grace. He went on to say that he eventually came to believe God’s Word, and trust in Christ for his salvation, and his life has never been the same. Although he is still incarcerated, he talks about the freedom he has found in Christ. In place of drugs and mistreating others, he now pursues loving others as Christ has loved him. So, it is fair to say that he learned English and grace.
Sometimes we may think of people and consider that God could never reach them. Their circumstances or the condition of their heart discourages us, and we say things like, “I will pray for them, but I don’t see it happening”. Please take note. If God can draw a hardened criminal to Himself by allowing him to learn English by reading the Bible, He has all sorts of ways to reach people. I think our estimates of who God can and can’t reach are based on our very limited perspective. Frankly, it is hard to understand how God’s Spirit moves. Jesus shared this truth with Nicodemus when He told Him:
3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit.7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d] John 3:3-8
Or … if the New Living Translation helps:
3 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again,[a] you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”4 “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.[b] 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.[c] 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You[d] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”
Can we explain how this incarcerated man was born of the Spirit? No. We can talk about the pieces and how they seemed to come together, but it terms of how he was born of the Spirit, that is only for God to explain. What we need to know is that God did it, and we can praise Him for it.
I want to end this blog by asking you to do something. I want you to think about a person that you think will never come to Christ. Then I want you to take all your reasons as to why to God. Perhaps, once you have done this, you might be willing to say a prayer like this:
“Dear Lord, I bring before you now this person. They are your creation. They are your prodigal son. Draw them to you that the angels may rejoice. I don’t know how you will do this Lord. I only know that whatever obstacles I think are in the way, You can clear. I don’t understand how your Spirit moves or exactly how people are saved. I can’t even explain why some reject You. All I know is that your Spirit can bring conviction to this person’s heart. Please, save them for Your glory and their eternal good. Amen.