Today

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion during the time of testing in the desert." Hebrews 3:7, NIV.

A group of us have been praying for a friend's husband to come to faith in Christ for many months. Last week, I began praying that he would come to faith before April. 'Might as well give God a timeline,' I reasoned. In early December, I decided to move up the timeline to the end of this year.

Then, I reflected on Hebrews 3:7, which I have been trying to memorize. "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts ..."

Today! Now! Present tense!

I realized that I needed to pray that this man would accept Christ through faith “today.” And if he doesn't come to faith today, then tomorrow I will pray, "Today, Lord, bring this man into Your kingdom."

Our prayers for the lost to come to Christ should always be urgent, present tense prayers. As a "practical Baptist," I recognize that we often pray for someone to accept Christ for years and years and years before, if ever seeing an answer. And yes I know that God's timing is not our timing. Still, we must never stop believing and asking God to bring the lost to faith “today!”

And so I pray, "Father, may this man hear the Gospel in a way that he can hear and respond in knowledge and faith, today. Bring him into your kingdom, TODAY!"

*Excerpt from the newsletter of a Pacific Rim worker.

Pray that:

Pacific Rim workers will have urgency in their prayers for the salvation of the lost peoples around them.

God will answer many “today” prayers with redemption and transformation.

A certain husband of a friend of this worker will come to faith, today!

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.