These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy. 1 Peter 1:7-8
“How was He revealed to you?” asked Christian.In the above text, Hopeful is describing his salvation experience. It reminded me somewhat of my own experience. Hopeful tells of praying what he calls the “prayer for salvation”, (p. 119); also known as the sinner’s prayer, “many times”.
“One day I saw Him—not with my eyes but with my heart. The Lord Jesus looked down from heaven on me, saying, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.’ And I replied, ‘Lord, I am a very great sinner.’ He answered, ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ And my heart was full of joy, my eyes full of tears, my love running over in the ways of Jesus Christ.” (Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan, Abridged, 2010 Barbour Publishing, Inc., p. 120)
I, too, prayed this prayer many times in succession. Why? Because, as I think of it now, I was not merely asking God to forgive me and come into my heart to live forever; I was begging Him to do so! I had been burdened with thoughts of conviction for so long that I yearned for the saving grace and release that can only be found through Christ Jesus.
While I eagerly speak of things I feel the Holy Spirit has put into my heart, I don’t talk enough of my own salvation experience. I suppose I don’t feel my own testimony is “dramatic” enough—you see I am fortunate enough to have “grown up” in church. My life has been blessed by a loving, Christian family. But with all these advantages, at the age of 15, I still had not accepted Christ as my personal Savior.
I had fooled myself into believing I was a Christian. I was in church and certainly those around me thought me a Christian. But I wasn’t and I knew it and I was very deeply under the conviction of sin.
In the summer of my 15th year, I was attending a church camp—a typical summer activity for me and my sister. After one of the evening church services that week, I asked my pastor’s wife to pray with me. Even though it was so many years ago, I still remember it as if it were yesterday. And I did literally beg Christ to save me. I will never forget that wonderful feeling of the Holy Spirit coming into my heart and lifting that awful burden of sin!
My pastor recently said, “There are no bad testimonies.” That brought to mind a verse, Jesus Himself speaking says, “I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Luke 15:10
As the apostle Peter wrote, “…though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy.” Amen!
You too, can have joy unspeakable in your life today, this moment, by accepting Christ as your Savior. Admit that you are a sinner; “for all have sinned…”—Romans 3:23. Believe that Jesus is God’s Son; “for God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…”—John 3:16. Confess your faith in Jesus; “for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”—Romans 10:13.
There are no magic words to recite. Just go to Christ in heart-felt prayer, confessing you are a sinner and your need for a Savior. Invite Him into your life; He’s waiting for you. Amen.
God Bless!
