Tenacious Faith

Missionary George Smith died on his knees praying for Africa. He had been there only a short time when he was driven from the country, leaving behind only one convert.

Years later, a group of men found a copy of the Bible that he left behind in Africa and met the one convert of George Smith’s ministry. They discovered his one convert had reached others, who had then reached others. And 100 years later, a missions agency discovered 13,000 people whose conversion was traced to the ministry of George Smith.

Then there was Noah. The Bible calls him “a preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5 NKJV), yet he lived 120 years and never had a single convert. He stands as an example to those who faithfully sow the seeds of the gospel but can’t always measure their success outwardly.

Maybe that describes you. You’ve told your whole family about Jesus, but no one has believed. You’ve told all your friends about Jesus, and not one of them has become a Christian. And you’ve invited all your neighbors to church, and no one has responded to your invitation.

Remember, Noah didn’t have a lot of people who believed, yet we’re still talking about him today.

The Bible tells us that “by faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7 NKJV).

So take heart. It isn’t over yet. Our job is to share the gospel, and it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to bring about conviction in the heart of a nonbeliever. Don’t underestimate the power of those little seeds of the gospel that you’ve sown in the lives of others. Just pray about it, and leave it in God’s hands.