Hard Hearts

Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. --Daniel 12:10

No matter how effective we think we are at witnessing to others, sometimes people have hard hearts. It doesn't matter if we can convincingly lay out all the historical facts of the Bible, or if we can quote each Old Testament prophecy and its corresponding fulfillment. The important thing to remember is that we do everything in the name of the Lord, and we leave the results up to him.

One of the neatest experiences I've ever had is to see some people that I have been praying for over the last several years begin a personal relationship with Christ. It is exciting to see how God worked in their lives and softened their hearts to that they desire to know him more. I look forward to hearing each month from my friends on campus at Rice University as to how God is using the Campus Crusade for Christ ministry to draw students into a relationship with him. I love hearing about students who have become beautiful new creations in the Lord, and I can't even begin to imagine what kind of awesome rejoicing must be going on in heaven because of them! It is very humbling to know that just because I had been praying, doesn't really mean that I had anything to do with the outcome. It was all the result of God carrying out his will for their lives.

Just as humbling an experience for me has been to know that no matter how hard I once tried to get a friend of mine to realize he needed God, I couldn't make anything happen. I could have talked until I was blue in the face and it wouldn't have made any difference. It didn't matter how many seeds I tried to plant, only the right circumstances would have made them take root and grow. Unfortunately, seeds don't often grow in dark, unfertile areas. My friend's heart was dark, and as far as I know, nothing ever grew there.

I'm not really sure why some people are more receptive to the idea of having a relationship with God while others couldn't be more turned off by the idea. What I do know is that some people do take that step to walk more closely with God, and others don't. Such a decision is really only between that person and God. As Christians it is important to us to do our best to plant some seeds and leave the results up to God. Only he can soften the hearts of those who disbelieve.