“As for you, do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with me, for I will not hear you. Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?” (Jeremiah 7:16–17, ESV)
Often, I see someone who seems hopeless, or should I say helpless. It is the person that we might think is so far gone in sin that we would not approach them. Yet this is a false premise. Some probably thought that way about me at one time. I remember meeting with an ex-employee that I had not seen for seven years. This was after the Lord saved me. During lunch with him, I mentioned my conversion experienced and he shouted out in a loud voice that grabbed the attention of many, “I can’t believe it! Steve Hankins born again!” So, we should not consider anyone beyond hope. God is the only one who can ultimately make this determination.
Interestingly, in this passage the Lord tells Jeremiah not to pray for the people of Judah and Jerusalem. The reason is that they had gone so far off the charts spiritually that the pleas of a true prophet would have no effect on them. So, I guess there are some who will not respond to our message. However, even though they may seem impossible on the short term, we do not know if they will respond on the long haul.
Here it is clear. The people had gone far from what the Lord desired that He would not even hear Jeremiah’s prayers of intercession for them. What did they do that invoked such a response? They worshipped idols through offerings and sacrifices. Moreover, the Lord knew that they would not hearken to the message He would send through Jeremiah (v27-28).
It is sad that people can harden their hearts to this extent, but it happens. Some will be deluded by false gods. Some will be so given over to the flesh that they will reject the truth. Some will be too proud to turn to the Lord.
So, what are we to do about those that seem so far gone that there seems no possibility of turning them away from their apostasy and towards the truth? Well, unless God tells me not to pray for them specifically, I will continue to pray for them and trust Him for the outcome. Who knows? They may be one like me that others felt would never be born again. I will continue to sow the seeds of God’s word until they shut me off. Who knows? Those seeds may germinate to produce a harvest of righteousness, as they did in me.
Nevertheless, there are unfortunately some who may never come to true saving faith. This does sadden me and I know that God desires that none would perish and that all would come to repentance. This is the reason for which Christ came to earth and died on the cross. So we must continue our work and trust God for the results.
Renewing the Heart 