The Third

     Last week, while changing planes in Denver, we found out a Kalispell friend of many years died in an avalanche, probably instantaneously. My first thought was directed to God, "but he didn't know you". My second was, what was the purpose of decades of praying for Dave to be saved, if he was going to die unredeemed? I felt betrayed. God had not only not done what I asked, He had wasted my time prompting me to pray for it. After all the small things God has given that meant so much less to me, how could he not answer one that mattered so much? I understand election and human will are involved in salvation, and I know that it is always right to pray for the unsaved. I even understand that God's purpose in having me pray for Dave might not be the same as mine was. But deep inside I thought God had done something wrong.

    The next day when I tried to pray, a feeling of futility hindered me. Why bother? It doesn't change anything. I shared my discouragement briefly with my prodigals prayer group Monday and at greater length with my BSF group Tuesday. They are praying for me, as well as the grieving family. I have also been doing my regular Bible study, this week on Jacob and Esau. I saw how God reached out and gave many opportunities to both sons. Jacob responded, Esau chose not to. I also remembered something I realized months ago in a sermon about the flood. God gave 120 years to the people of Noah's time knowing that not one of them was going to repent. He is not trying to run out the clock on anyone's salvation as if that would be a win for His team. If Dave was ever going to repent and come to Christ, God would have kept him alive so he could do so. 

     Dave was the third of those I have prayed many years for and yet died unsaved. The first was my uncle, a very nice man who wanted nothing to do with God in life and achieved that in death. The second was Dorothy, an older friend who, in later life was practically surrounded by Christians, but somehow could not understand her need for Christ. There was not only no spiritual light within her, but seemingly, no fixture in which to hold it. And now there is Dave, who had many Christian friends and listened politely to spiritual things, but was not receptive to them. Some who have had, or known others who had, near death experiences tell me you can do a lot of businesses with God in a few seconds and perhaps Dave did.

     I am still praying for salvation for the rest of his family, and for all my unsaved friends and family. My mind knows many of them will not come to Christ, but my heart is afraid to find out who will be the fourth?