Nehemiah needed to talk with his king, Artaxerxes. As soon as an opportunity presented itself, Nehemiah sent a quick prayer to God. He had already been praying intensely, and God blessed his talk with the king (Nehemiah 1-2). In the same way, our efforts should begin and continue with prayer. God will help us.
Jesus met a stranger, a woman of Samaria. He began by asking her for water. He used that subject—water—to talk about needs and solutions for her life (John 4). When you meet someone, think about things at hand, things going on, even events in the news, that might become bridges to spiritual subjects.
Example: “Do you worry about rising prices? I feel the pinch too, but I’ve found a way to give my worries away.” That may lead to discussion about God’s promises of care (Matthew 6; Philippians 4; 1 Peter 5).
Example: “It seems like just yesterday that I was younger and had the energy of that child. Do you find life passing too quickly? Where do you think this life is going?” Learn what the person thinks. Then share the hope you have (1 Peter 1:3; 3:15).
Example: “This new product is amazing! But I’ve heard that the brain is far better than anything yet invented. A human brain has 86 billion parts (neurons) that continually flash messages to each other. How do you think something so complex came about?” This may introduce the Creator who designed us with a great purpose in mind.
Example of a conversation: “Hi. My name is Sam and I’m a student at the college here. May I ask your name? [Remember the name and use it in the discussion. Share more about yourself, then learn more about them. We all have needs and struggles, which may be the common ground that leads into deeper discussion.] I had a similar experience to yours. What got me through was prayer. If you pray, do you feel that your prayers are answered? There is a way to be sure. Would you like to know more about that?”