I Prayed for a Homeless Man…
I prayed for a homeless man…his name is Joseph. He was probably close to 70 years old. I saw him on the streets in the downtown area of Colorado Springs and as I walked by him the Holy Spirit arrested me. I was walking with a friend but knew I had to turn around and offer to pray with him. As I approached him, I noticed immediately He had kindness in his eyes and was wearing a gentle smile. I walked up to him smiling back and asked if I could pray for him. He first responded with yes and a brighter smile. Living on the streets, I imagine this happened to him frequently because he didn’t seem surprised by my request. Even so, I wanted to be sensitive to make him feel heard so I decided to ask him what he wanted me to pray for him. Specifically, what he wanted Jesus to do for him.
At first, he struggled to hear my question, exclaiming he couldn’t hear well because he said he been so close to gun fire at some point in his life. I surmised he was likely a war veteran who by the looks of him had lived a very difficult life. I repeated my question and waited for his response. “What would you like Jesus to do for you?” Surprised, he began weeping. After a few moments, he finally said that Jesus was no longer for him. That prayers for him would not matter or work. He told me he had done too many wrong things in his life. He told me when he prayed, he heard Jesus tell him, “His prayers wouldn’t work anymore because he’d hurt too many people.”
When I processed his response and saw the sorrow on his face a righteous anger rose up inside me. I vehemently protested, asked him to look me squarely in the eyes and told him, “Joseph, that is a complete lie!” I told him, Jesus died just for him and that he was dearly loved no matter if he committed the worst sins in the world. Trying to disarm the lie, I continued to tell him that none of us measure up to God’s standards which is why we all need Jesus as our Savior. But no matter what I said he would not believe me. In fact, the more I tried to reason with him the more irritated he got until he walked away tears streaming down his face. He wept the entire time we spoke. I could see he desperately wanted hope but the devil had formed such a stronghold in his heart that he could not receive the truth of God’s love or grace.
The church frequently boasts about beautiful testimonies about the victories in our Christian walk. We play the highlight reel and talk about radical salvations, healings, and deliverances. I applaud and share all these same beautiful moments of fruit myself but do we ever talk about people like Joseph? The ones that we stretch out our hand to only to be rejected. Better yet, do we grieve for the Joseph’s? Those whose hearts have become so contaminated with lies that truth just bounces off them like they are covered with rubber. I know God’s heart breaks for Joseph. His dearly loved son rejects the love of God because he feels so unworthy of it.
It reminds me of the crippled man at the pool of Bethesda. After years and years of disappointment and hopelessness He had given up. But Jesus still saw Him. He still met him in his hopelessness and in fact pierced his heart in such a way with his words that faith rose up in him and he received his healing.
Why does this matter if we talk about it? The reality is that if this man does not have a radical awakening in his heart he will likely spend eternity in utter darkness separated from the One who gave up everything to restore Joseph as his son. Let me tell you, I have had a spiritual encounter in the “utter darkness” and I can assure you that it was the worst thing I have ever experienced. It is not a place any human being belongs. It’s completely devoid of all hope and my brief moments there brought a terror to me I had never experienced before.
I don’t know this man’s story or his choices but I know without a doubt Jesus loves him with an eternal passion we cannot begin to comprehend. Those words don’t begin to give us understanding of the depth of that love. It’s a perfect love that was in existence long before we ever opened our eyes. It’s the nature of who God is and a love that chose us first. We were chosen before we even took our first breath or had a chance to sin.
Jesus thinks this man is so worth eternal life with Him that He took his place on the cross so that Joseph might live. So, yes, my heart grieves for Joseph. Yes, I need to talk about Joseph. I understand that Jesus told us to shake the dust off our feet from those who refused to receive the news that the kingdom of heaven is near. But if we don’t recognize the reality that some walk in such darkness they don’t even know where to begin to find the light we won’t contend to be a light that overcomes any and all darkness.
My wish in that moment was that I could have radiated God’s love for him so powerfully that the darkness and lies that bound him would have fallen away instantly. I truly believe we can carry God’s glory this way. If it was possible for Jesus, it’s possible for us. I think stepping into that requires us to be connected to God’s heart for people as much as possible. It requires a gutting of any hardness of heart, removal of any fear of being rejected by man, and a walk of holiness and consecration to the Lord. I don’t hold myself responsible for his “no” but I am contending to be more Christlike so there’s a greater hope of his yes.
Despite the result, I would still pray for Joseph because He is so worth it to Jesus…so he’s worth it to me. We are called to be harvesters for the kingdom. We’re not responsible for the outcome but we are responsible to tell all..the kingdom of God is near.
