I received a special e-mail from a friend that was at my home with a group of believers when a call came in from Pastor R in Syria. What he had to say was so well put, I thought I should share it.
Jake,
I feel compelled to write about getting to be apart of one of your calls from Pastor R. It was such a blessing to hear his voice in person, to hear him express a deep love for Christ and hear him say I am no prophet, I am no apostle, I am no Elijah. But to hear him say that since people ask, he will pray for them. And with all he’s got going on, with all that he’s dealing with, Pastor R is praying for around 500 people a day!
I continue to be humbled that we would be the place that Pastor R would turn to for support. He is leading the equivalent of a mega-church that is reaching LITERALLY thousands across several hundred miles and more than three countries. But the work is taxing for him and he needs someone that he can turn to for encouragement and to pray for his own needs. And as a true servant of the Lord Most High, he doesn’t just ask for himself, but for his leadership team and his whole church.
Here I sit, drinking my orange juice and wondering if it will be dry enough to mow the lawn today. And I think back onto the call where getting food and tents and Bibles and time to minister to people is all Pastor R and his church can think about. I don’t feel worthy to be praying, to be apart of what HOB is doing. Here we are, a small Bible study and the readership of the blog and all that Pastor R asks of us is to pray.
What HOB is going through, it feels like we should be rallying people from all over to help! It feels like WE SHOULD BE DOING MORE! How can we help more? Can we send money? Should we have a bake sale? A garage sale? Lord, what can we do to help our Brothers & Sisters more?
I think back to the events of 2001 and how not only America rose up, but really people all over the world rose up to support those who were suffering. Literally MILLIONS of dollars were raised to help. During the various natural disasters that have happened since then, people from all over have sent money and some have gone to help in person. WHERE IS THIS SUPPORT FOR OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST?!?!? We are getting first hand accounts of the pain, the suffering, the starvation, the torture and the death. And yet, it seems like it is barely getting notice.
And yet to hear how much our prayer effected Pastor R, how much he thanked us for the prayers that help keep he and his church alive day to day is really overwhelming and humbling. I could hear in his voice, a sadness and struggle at the start of the call that wasn’t there at the end. Praise God!
So we can pray. If there’s anything we need to do more of to help, it’s pray more. It doesn’t feel like enough and yet it is the most powerful thing we can do to help.
Pray that God will multiply the resources he’s given HOB. Pray that God would feed the starving. Pray that God will protect his missionaries and church. Pray that God will continue to give HOB wisdom to know how best to minister. Pray that God will raise up workers so that it won’t be said this time that the harvest is plenty, but the workers are few. Pray that God will heal the sick and heal the hurts! Pray that God will stop missiles! Pray that God will send help from around the world! Pray that God will send miracles! Pray thanks to God for the works he’s already done. Pray thanks to God for the miracles he’s already done. Pray thanks to God for the help he’s already sent. Pray thanks to God for the missile he stopped. Pray thanks to God for the healing that he’s done. Pray thanks to God for the workers he’s raised up. Pray thanks to God for the Wisdom he’s given. Pray thanks to God for all the ways he’s already protected. Pray thanks to God for the food that he’s provided. Pray thanks to God for all the resources he’s already stretched.
Pray thanks to God for sending his only Son to die for us!
To not have met this Pastor R in person, not to have seen his face, to really only have read his testimony and to have heard his voice and yet get the privilege to call him a Brother in Christ is awesome to me. To get to call all of the House of Blessing my Brothers and Sisters in Christ is a privilege and an honor. Praise Jesus!
Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray for my brothers & sisters in House of Blessing. I pray that you will protect them as they minister to and help the people around them. I pray that you will provide food for them. I pray that you will provide Bibles so that they can learn more about you.
I pray for Pastor R. I pray that you will give him your supernatural strength to carry through the struggles he & his church are facing. I pray for healing for Pastor R as he said that he was having troubles breathing. I pray in the power of Jesus’s name that you would heal Pastor R. I pray that you would protect him and his leadership team as they continue to minister to people in countries where that very ministry carries the death penalty.
I pray that you would provide resources and wisdom to Pastor R & House of Blessing as they prepare for the upcoming Ramadan. I pray in confidence that this year’s harvest will be more miraculous and will bring many souls into the church. I pray for the people that will soon be called Brothers & Sisters in Christ. I pray knowing that you are already working in their lives, preparing the way.
Lord I weep for the suffering and pain that has been inflicted on your people and the church. I pray that you would hasten the day that marks the end of the church age, when the last soul is reached with your Good News.
Lord, if it be your will, help us to raise awareness of the plight of churches in the middle east, especially House of Blessing, that there might be an outpouring of prayer, resources, help and love for our Brothers & Sisters.
Thank you for the privilege of being able to pray for Pastor R and House of Blessing. Thank you for the love and mercy you have poured out on Pastor R, House of Blessing, Jake & Anne, my family and all of your church.
Amen.
Thank you Jake for your obedience in Christ,
Brody McMann