How Can I Reach the "Unreachable"

FROM HEAD KNOWLEDGE TO HEART KNOWLEDGE:

1. Evaluate in prayer:  What students or situations are on your heart often?  

2. Apply THESE STEPS:  Follow the four steps above; love, pray, ask for wisdom, and leave the results in God's hands.  You may need to pay special attention to that last step!

Transcript

How do we reach the unreachable? What do you do when there's a student in your class that you so desperately want to help academically, spiritually, emotionally, and it just feels like you're not getting through?

You feel like, man, they're really dealing with a lot. Maybe they have a difficult life situation, and you feel at a loss. You feel like you have no power to help them. Well, I think a really key realization is to make that—that is absolutely true. We have no power to save anyone. That is God's job. He is the Savior, not us.

But let's hear some of His words that He says and how He is able to save. This is from Ezekiel 34, which is a not-very-well-known but amazing chapter. I recommend reading the entire thing.

This is from Ezekiel 34:15–16. This is God saying:

"I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the stray, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice."

This verse, and so many others, speak to God's desire to save and rescue and heal, and also His ability to do so. So when we're facing a student where we want to help them but we feel unable, it's first important to remember: we are unable. Only God can truly reach his heart. But the amazing thing is that God allows us to partner with Him. He allows us to be His ambassadors, to be the body of Christ to the world, and to make a difference if that's what He wills.

So, here's a couple things we can do in this situation. Number one: love them. Just love them and show them the love of Christ. Number two: pray for them. This is the most powerful thing we can do because we are beseeching the one who can change their hearts and really heal, that He would do it. Number three: ask for wisdom. There'll be many times where you don't know what to do, and so pray and ask God. He can guide you. And then number four: leave the results in His hands. A lot of times we can get discouraged when we're not seeing results as quickly as we'd like. But we need to remember that God works on different timings than us, and ultimately we can't save.

So all we can do is be faithful with the opportunities He gives us, and then we can leave the results up to God in His time. My encouragement for you right now is to think about one or two students that have been on your heart. Pray right now that God would work in them.

FROM HEAD KNOWLEDGE TO HEART KNOWLEDGE:

1. Evaluate in prayer:  What students or situations are on your heart often?  

2. Apply THESE STEPS:  Follow the four steps above; love, pray, ask for wisdom, and leave the results in God's hands.  You may need to pay special attention to that last step!