My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins (James 5:19–20, esv).
“Anyone,” meet “someone.”
The beauty of this passage from James 5 is evident in God’s personal care for His children as He matches up a “someone” with an “anyone” for a life-saving mission.
As you think today about those you know who aren’t living for God as they once did, the name that most likely comes to mind is someone close to you—a family member, longtime friend, or workplace associate. Perhaps, in fact, every time a sermon or small group discussion poses a similar type of question, this person has been your immediate answer for as long as you can remember.
You’ve probably made several attempts through the years to try persuading them to take God’s Word more seriously. Apparently to no avail. And sad to say, they may be closed off to hearing it from you at this point. Experience tells us they’ll respond best hearing it from somebody else now, some other way. And while you can (and should) stay persistent and faithful, always ready to lead them lovingly back to Christ, begin trusting God now to put this person of yours on some other believer’s heart who can represent Him to them with a fresh face and approach.
But don’t consider yourself a failure, ineffective, or out of a job . . . because there’s someone else who’s in your shoes today, who’s weary of trying and failing to get through to a loved wanderer. And they’re praying for someone like you to come along.
Unlike them, your relationship with this person who’s most on their heart is not as a spouse or sibling but is more coincidental. Maybe you went to high school or college with them. Maybe you used to work out at the same gym. Maybe their family and your family once lived on the same street and had kids the same age. But you knew then, or you’ve heard since, that they stopped walking with the Lord. And lately, as you’ve been open to the Spirit’s stirring in your heart, this person’s name and memory keep popping up—unexpectedly, yet with a certain weight and frequency.
Eventually, “someone” is going to bring them back. “Someone” is going to find this “anyone” that the Spirit is working to help you acknowledge. But why should “anyone” wait any longer when “someone” like you is already primed to be thinking of them and praying for them? Finding them may take a bit of work, especially if it’s a person you haven’t seen in a long time. But what a pleasant surprise for them if they were to hear from you. And what an answer to someone else’s prayer you could become by obediently following up on what you know to be a spiritual nudge from the Lord.
When the Bible says to go after “anyone” who’s wandered from the truth, you can never say a person is too far gone to be reached, or that the situation is too messy and complicated to get involved. And when the Bible says “someone,” you know that any of us should be expecting His call at any time. He wouldn’t be alerting you about it if making this connection wasn’t part of His plan, if He wasn’t actively extending His grace to this individual and wooing them back into fellowship with Him.
Don’t underestimate the urgency of your mission. Be the “someone” to go after “anyone” today.
Journal
Pray
God, in this moment I ask You to stir in me such a burden that I cannot escape it. Touch my heart with someone that I can reach out to with renewed friendship and grace. Let my obedience not be determined by their response, but by the overflow of love and mercy You’ve poured out on my heart and life. Even though I have my own burdens, cause me to know that when I take up what matters most to You, You will meet my needs in ways that are beyond what I could ask for or imagine. Use me as You see fit, for Your glory alone. In Jesus’ name, amen.