Jesus chooses us before we choose him!

I thought it only appropriate that I start off by sharing about the time Jesus started knocking on my door.

I was living the good life in Cape Town, I had come out of a rather fun student life and now lived my life socialising, working and partying every weekend. I had started to look into new age practices and since I was so invested in my career, I was following everything I could to manifest the best I could out of it. I was definitely the farthest I could have been from looking for Jesus/ God.

I remember it gradually started on my daily runs that I would hear a voice in my head saying “obey me”, I heard it repeatedly for a while. I knew this was God speaking and I had an understanding that he was saying that he knew I didn’t understand why I was not supposed to be living the wrong life, that I didn’t truly understand the spiritual ramifications to it like I do now but that I just needed to obey him and I would understand in time.

I remember one day I was running and a begger was walking along the road, I noticed these birds flying as if they were leading me right to him, I was so focused on them for some reason. They flew straight to him, did a circle right around him and flew away and for some reason I just knew I needed to help this man. This was one of the days that I had heard to obey him. I ignored it and carried on with my run and on my way home, this exact man happened to be walking straight past my front door where I could not avoid him, he asked when I got to him if I could please help him with a blanket, which I obviously did. I didn’t quite understand what was going on or why God was suddenly talking to me in such ways when I was not seeking him.

I periodically would read my bible because it made me feel nice just as going to church every now and then did. This particular day it was as if the pages were just ALIVE. Things were just making so much sense, jumping out at me! And all I could notice on every page I flipped to was the word “faith”, I had never noticed it like I had that day and it had never been a question as to what faith really meant to me until that day. It was then that I prayed and asked God to show me what faith really meant and to give me this faith that he spoke of (I would say about a year later, when I was going through a VERY difficult year I realised that I had asked for it but it most certainly gave me the faith I had been asking for).

My main reason for sharing all of these slightly random points is that looking back now, this was the start to Jesus pursuing me, it was a time that I was most certainly not looking for him, I hadn’t yet chosen him and it was definitely none of my own doing. He chose me FIRST. My flat mate was a very strong born again believer at the time and my mom was one too and I know without a shadow of a doubt that they were praying powerfully for me.

I find this story the most encouraging for people that are so desperately wanting loved ones to come to know the Lord, to understand the truth, that feel like there’s nothing more that they can do to get them to or that they have messed up in how they have brought their kids up resulting in them being on the wrong track. Can I tell you that there is nothing that you could have physically done or can do now. That the power is not yours to do that with. The power is Jesus Christ’s who lives in you and he can and will be faithful to save if you are faithful to pray. Prayer is your battle armour. That person does not need to be seeking the Lord for him to come to know him. Through your prayer, the Lord will choose him first just as he did me!

John 6:44
No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 15:16
You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.