Friday, June 27, 2014

You Are Prayed For

Every month, we each take a spiritual retreat day. Been doing it for years now.  And it's changed our lives.

What do I do on those days?  I find a bit of nature and park it for the day.  With coffee, of course.  The entire morning is spent in prayer and Scripture. Nothing else.  The afternoon is spent reflecting: Journaling, reading books, more prayer, more Scripture.

This was my view today.

I tell you this to two reasons: 

  1. I hope it encourages you to consider doing the same.  It could change your life.
  2. I wanted you to know that you were prayed for today.  That is: If you've asked for specific prayers from us, told us that you're praying for us, or are giving financially toward our mission, we are lifting you up as well.

We take this idea of "partnership" pretty seriously.  I totally understand now, I think, why Paul thanked people profusely for their "partnership in sharing the gospel" and why he earnestly and consistently prayed for those partners.  Paul knew his role and the hardships that came with it.  And while he ultimately relied solely on God, he also knew that God uses people to meet needs.  He counted on the prayers of other believers to help sustain him, to make his ministry effective, to protect him, and to give him boldness in proclaiming the truth.

I get it.

And Paul couldn't help but THANK GOD for these partners every time he thought of them.  Partnership.  Today, as I prayed, tears came to my eyes as I thought of how so many of you consistently lift us up and/or sacrifice to make our ministry happen.  It's humbling, to say the least.  

For those who are PRAYING: It's simply incredible for us to think that you would take time out of your day to approach God on our behalf.  Thank you.  We believe strongly in the power of prayer.  We believe that the spiritual conversations we have with unbelievers, the progress we're making, the health of our family, the support raising - Everything is affected by your prayers.  We truly believe that your prayers matter more than the financial support.  No joke.

For those who are GIVING:  How can we ever thank you enough?  You are sacrificing to make this happen!  You're investing financially to spread the gospel and help people you'll never meet.  Rather than using your hard-earned money for your own pleasures, you've willingly chosen to enable our family to spend ourselves on behalf of the people or Rwanda and Atlanta.  That deserves serious applause!

If you fit into either category, just know that we are praying for God's blessing on your life.  We are taking significant time to lift up the specific requests you are giving us (keep 'em coming).  We pray with tears of joy and gratitude that God would reward you for your faithfulness and that He would direct your every step as you play your role in advancing the Kingdom.  THANK YOU.

-Jeremiah

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