What to pray when people need uninvited God encounters

Do you ever feel you need a fresh view of Jesus? Do you want to see a new aspect of His personality you haven't encountered before?I do.That's what a growing relationship with the Lord looks like. We discover new facets to His personality and experience His glory in each.Recently I read a few short paragraphs about the woman at the well in The Imperfect Disciple by Jared C. Wilson.

You remember the story...

Jesus is alone at a well in the middle of the day—a time when only travelers and outcasts frequent a well.A woman shows up. She's a rather sketchy person. Avoided by the town's people. Has a reputation with men. Doesn't want anyone in her personal space and avoids conversations about anything private.Jesus ignores all that and gets eyeball to eyeball with her. Tells her to get him some water, and then steps further into her personal space with a rather uncomfortable conversation.After painting a picture of the awkwardness of the situation, Wilson concludes his observations with this statement:

What is happening at Jacob's well in John 4 is the real Jesus—and he's showing up where he's not invited and giving commands.

BOOM

When a statement like the one Wilson makes jumps off the page at me, I know it's the Holy Spirit.Suddenly I thought of several family members who need to encounter an uninvited Jesus.These are people I love who have no interest in Jesus and wouldn't invite him to their next bar-b-que even if they thought of it.They may be looking good on the outside, but their inside isn't.Of course, this all flashes through my mind in less than a second.

Then the real revelation hits:

I need to pray that Jesus will show up and start giving commands—with the family members who had just flashed through my mind.Now, I don't know what that will look like or what the commands would be. That part is not my business, so I'm not about to start dictating to the Lord what my prayer should look like when answered.But when Jesus shows up where he isn't invited—like getting in the personal space of the woman at the well—AND giving commands, HER WORLD CHANGED.She became a Christ follower. She led others to the Lord. She was the catalyst that changed a people group.

So guess what I'm praying now

Yep, it's:

Lord, I ask that you show up uninvited in the personal space of (name of person) and start giving commands. I don't know what that will look like, but I know the results that happened when you did it with the woman at the well in John 4. I pray that (name of person) sees you differently than he sees you right now because of this uninvited encounter.

How about you? Know anyone who could use that prayer?Thought so.Like Wilson says, "Thank God Jesus doesn't respect our personal space. Nobody would ever get saved if he did!"(For more ideas on praying for those you love who don't know Jesus, check out my free mini-course, Paving the Way.)May your week be filled with stories of univited God encounters with the people who matter the most to you.Hugs,Susan