Wednesday Prayers

Greetings Prayer Warriors!  Thank you for your time and energy in the work of prayer.  A week or so ago I had an interesting conversation with a young lady.  We were talking about prayer and she mentioned that she had heard someone comment once about what our answered prayers look like.  How many of those answered prayers will be a new job, a new home, a stronger marriage, a healing and how many of those prayers will be souls in heaven?  Please understand, the job, the home, the marriage and the healing are very important.  God cares intimately and more than we can imagine about our daily circumstances.  These circumstances are often used by God's grace to draw unbelievers home to Himself.  But her point was simply this; do we spend as much time in praying for salvation as we do for other things? 

With that being said, I imagine that you all have names on your prayer list of folks who desperately need God's grace and healing for their sins.  As you pray this week, please pray for those folks on your list but please talk to someone in your circle of friends and share that burden of praying for salvation with them.  Pray together for each others names and encourage each other in that way.  In this way, you have the opportunity to be a part of someone's coming to faith; you also have the opportunity to encourage someone who is discouraged and weary in waiting for someone they love to come to salvation. 

Some of the other prayer needs for this week:

1. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your prayers for Nancy.  The scans show that ALL the tumors have shrunk.  We are greatly encouraged by that and the news that she only has to have chemo every third week instead of every second week.  Please continue to pray for her; this is chemo week and those are difficult.
2. Thank you for praying for little Ty.  His recovery is remarkable; his mother has graciously allowed me to share her blog about his progress here.  Please pray for continued healing and pray that Ty would grow up to be a man after God's own heart.
3. Amanda's daughter should be having her baby any time now.  Please pray for this young lady and her new son.
4. Felicia is a young lady who died after a brief illness.  Please pray for her husband, her daughter, her parents and siblings, and all the extended family as they grieve her death.  Death is not permanent, and they do have the hope of heaven, but they miss her dreadfully.
5. Continue to pray for Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.  Pray that God's glory would be seen in them.  Pray for comfort and strength.
6. Let's be diligent and fervent in praying for those who are affected by the atrocities of ISIS.  I grieve for the women who are being caught in their "marriage" trap.  Please pray for perseverance in faith for them and for repentance for their captors.  Let's continue to pray the same prayers for the little girls caught by the Boko Haram group.
7. Thank you for your continued prayers for the VBS's that are happening.  I heard from Krisila on Monday that their church had 1,099 students attend on their first day.  Wow!!  Keep praying for everyone; those who have these large numbers and those who faithfully serve when only 4 or 5 children show up.
8. Continue to pray for your pastor and his family.  Pray for balance as he tries to juggle managing a congregation with managing a family who are on summer vacation.  Pray that God will show you ways that you might encourage both him and his family this summer.

As I wrapped up the book of Romans last week in my Names project, a few that jumped into my heart are these:
  
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.  Romans 14:4  

Our God is the One Who Is Able To Make Us Stand.

If that is not encouragement enough, look at this one:

And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly.  The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.  Romans 16:20

He is God.  He is peace.  He is the One who will (that's a promise) crush Satan under your feet.

May His peace invade your heart and your home and strengthen and encourage you as you work to bring glory and honor to His name.