I was a teenager when a young man I had just met talked to me about salvation. He told me about the power of Jesus to bring joy and meaning into my life, and I prayed with him, asking Jesus to come into my heart. In the next months, my life, my interests, my friendships, and my understanding of God’s plan for my life changed. To this day, I am still growing spiritually and learning about Jesus’ wonderful love for all mankind. I am eternally thankful for that moment when that young man spoke to me.
As a new Christian, I had started to share my faith in Jesus with young people I knew or would meet. Then Jesus nudged me to go talk to a middle-aged man about my faith. I was shy at first, thinking he wouldn’t pay much attention to a teenager, but he stopped what he was doing, and we talked for about an hour. I told him of the changes Jesus had brought in my life. He told me a bit about himself. We talked about the problems of the world.
I offered to pray for him, which he accepted. After praying for him and the challenges he had shared with me, he then prayed to receive Jesus as his Savior.
Then, with a big smile, he said: “Your prayer has just saved two lives!” I was puzzled, but then he showed me a gun he had in his belt under his coat. He said: “I was going to kill my partner! I was filled with anger because he betrayed me in a business endeavor. But after talking to you today, I realized that I was going to ruin my life, his life, and the lives of our families. I have decided to trust God to solve the problem the right way. Thank you so much for the light you have shed on my path today!”
I was initially shocked by his honesty about his previous intentions. Then I was thankful that I had obeyed the guidance of the Holy Spirit to talk to him. I never saw this man again, but that experience clearly showed me the positive change the Lord’s love can have on a confused soul. The ripple effects of this conversation will only be completely known in eternity! I reflect on what C. T. Studd, the famous missionary to China, India, and Africa, said: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past. Only what’s done for Christ will last.”