Acts 16:9. “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; there stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, ‘Come over into Macedonia, and help us.’” HELP US. From beyond the borders of our complacency and comfort – From beyond the apathy created by having “much goods and have need of nothing;” From beyond the quiet contentment of a Sunday morning gathering for worship; From beyond the heated and air-conditioned walls of a beautiful sanctuary; From beyond the safeguards of a nation that guarantees our freedoms; From beyond the opportunities to advance and make more profit and material gain; From beyond the enticements of materialism and the softness it creates in us; From beyond the borders of our nation – from the far parts of the earth: Comes the call: “Come over and help us.”
From the homes of our land where there is so much dysfunction and uncertainty; From broken hearts of those who have been abandoned and left to fend for themselves; From the grief-stricken waiting rooms in a thousand hospitals where tears flow daily; From the sterile bedsides of those who are in pain and others who are slowly dying; From the children longing and looking for a parent who hasn’t come home for days; From the lonely isolation of one who’s loved one has died and is looking at walls; From those whose memories are all they have left of sons and daughters long gone; From those for who the flag flies half-mast all day and every day – as it has for years:
Comes the call: “Come over and help us.”
From those who have never found the peace they are longing for and looking for; From those who have been bowing down to idols and images made by man; From those who pray with heads on the floor several times a day to those long dead; From those who have terror in their hearts for fear of offending unknown powers; From those who crawl on hands and knees up steps or on roads praying and hurting; From those who pay great sums of money hoping for the forgiveness of their sins; From those who become cynical and hard because of false religion they have seen; From those who have emptiness within and do not know where to find fullness: Comes the call: “Come over and help us.”
From the silent voices and speaking eyes of those who have listened to the Gospel; From the bowed head and fearful handshake of those who want salvation but are afraid; From the strained look of those who are trying to understand the fullness of God’s grace; From the trembling lips of the ones who have prayed over and over, “O God, save me.” From the children sitting beside believing parents and wondering, “How did you get this?” From the older ones who have been bound by tradition and form and pride and fear; From the careless person who has suddenly been given a fatal verdict and is awakened; From the children around the family table who know there is a separation at the Rapture: Comes the call: “Come over and help us.”
“I am afraid, O heavenly Father, that I have not given serious enough thought to the plight of the lost. I really need, and want, to be able to see people as You see them. I know theoretically the danger lost souls are in and yet sometimes I forget the terrible danger before them. In a few hours I am going to be speaking to lost souls in a public meeting. I will shortly speak to some in private. Let me see them through Your eyes. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.”