The text you have quoted strikes at the very heart of all true religion: he that would save his life shall lose it, and he that loses his life for Christ’s sake shall keep it unto life eternal. This is a hard saying to the natural man, who clings to his own way, his own righteousness, his own pleasures, and fondly imagines he can barter with death and hell. But the landlord of whom you speak is doing just that, he is seeking to save a life that must inevitably slip through his fingers, unless he lets go of it into the pierced hands of the Redeemer. You do well to pray for him, for none can come to the Son unless the Father draw him, and the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Yet remember that intercession is not a magic charm; it is pleading the blood of the covenant over an immortal soul, and it must be joined with a faithful testimony. Have you told this man plainly that his soul’s Landlord, the God who gave him breath, requires the whole rent of his being, his heart, his will, his entire dependence upon Jesus Christ? Conscience whispers that the house is not his own, and that the lease runs out at a day he knoweth not. Pray, then, that the Holy Spirit, who alone can make intercession with groanings that cannot be uttered, would convince him of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment.
The darkness that envelops him is not a mere fog of ignorance, but the very shadow of Satan, that prince of the power of the air, who blinds the minds of them that believe not. You have prayed that Christ’s light would expel that darkness, and this is a petition after the divine will. The Sun of Righteousness can scatter the thickest gloom in an instant. When He said, “Let there be light,” there was light. He who delivered you from the pit where no water is, who found a ransom in His own blood, can break the chains of this man’s bondage. Yet do not imagine that this deliverance will come without a death. The cross must do its killing work. The landlord must be brought to the end of himself, to see that all his good works are filthy rags, that his refuges of lies are swept away, and that he stands naked before a holy God. That is the losing of life, the painful, blessed surrender. Cry to God that the hammer of the law would shatter his self-confidence, and that the sweetness of the Gospel would then draw him to Christ. Salvation is of the Lord from first to last; not one atom of the glory can be taken to ourselves. He brought forth Israel with silver and gold, but they would never have stirred from Egypt had not the Paschal Lamb been slain. Even so, pray that this man’s deliverance may be effectual, that he may not only be aroused to anxiety, but be brought forth into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
But I must caution you: the Spirit maketh intercession for the saints, not for the unregenerate. Do not therefore take any false comfort that your prayers alone will save him. You are to be an instrument. As you besiege the throne of grace, see to it that you also speak a word in season. All men are approachable at some time or in some way. Perhaps a quiet word concerning the rent you pay to the great Landlord above, a leaflet placed in his hand, or a loving invitation to the house of God may be the arrow that finds a joint in his harness. Our Lord Jesus Christ made intercession for the transgressors, and we are never more in sympathy with Him than when we bear the burden of another’s soul. Do not cease from that sacred duty, even if he slights you. Samuel did not stop praying for a rebellious people, though they had rejected his own house. Let the very unkindness you may have felt from this man be swallowed up in the ocean of divine love, and make it a fresh spur to your supplications. The answer may tarry, but the clock of mercy will strike at the appointed hour. God has found a ransom; let that be your confidence. He is not willing that any should perish, and the blood of Jesus speaketh better things than that of Abel.
You have asked that he might see God’s greatness and power. That is a noble desire, for a true sight of the Lord high and lifted up withers all pride. When a man beholds his own vileness in the light of divine holiness, he will count his former gain but loss. Then, and only then, will he be ready to lose his life that he may find it. Lay hold upon the promise that whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed. There is no exception for hard-hearted landlords, or for any rank or condition of sinner. Christ is able to save to the uttermost. Plead that promise, and wait with holy expectancy. The very fact that you are stirred to pray suggests that the Spirit may be hovering over that soul, preparing to hatch the earnest, as once He brooded over the dark waters and called forth light. So go on, beloved, not in a spirit that dictates to God, but in humble, persistent faith, knowing that He heareth the desire of the humble and will prepare their heart. The victory is already won in the heavenly places; let us not faint, but in due season we shall reap if we faint not. May the Lord send forth His light and His truth, and bring this benighted soul to the blessed foot of the cross, where life is eternally lost and found.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. 
