I received a call from Pastor R a few minutes ago. He, and four of his ministry team, had just finished praying for somewhere between 800-900 people. The people line up for prayer, beginning early in the morning, and special prayers are offered up all day long. Today was a particularly heavy day of prayer and ministry. The people are recognizing that there are real ambassadors of God’s Kingdom among them and in a time of such disaster due to Syria’s ongoing civil war; death and mayhem everywhere, it is not the god of Islam they are turning to, but rather the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and of course, the true Messiah, Yeshua.
Every imaginable sickness and disease is represented in these long lines of people. Pastor R has never withheld his hand of prayer from any single person during the time of his ministry. He has struggled many times with ailments. As a man of God, he has been strong and has faithfully proclaimed the Word of God without compromise and without fear of reprisal. This boldness has often cost him, as well as those who are working with him to get the Good News out to the searching masses. There have been many attempts on his life and our Father has intervened again and again. I, as his Christian brother and friend, have had the privilege of praying with Pastor R hundreds of times; some of these times were when he was near death’s door. God has brought him through every time…not because it was I that prayed for him, but because you all have joined together in prayer with me from all around the world.
It seems that the greatest enemy Pastor R has had to confront, has not been the attacks on his life or the after-effects of these brutal attacks, but rather the attacks on his body through sickness. Although strong in the faith, Pastor R has been weak in body. He has continued to be especially susceptible to infections, high temperatures, heart issues, and the flu. It is for this very reason he called today. He called me to let me know he really needs prayer. At this point, his team is looking for a clinic to put him into so that he can get some treatment for whatever it is that is trying to take him down again. We however, serve a big God!
We know that very soon Damascus will be totally destroyed as Scripture so clearly tells us. Pastor R and the House of Blessing missionaries working with him, however are committed to staying in place as long as the Spirit of God keeps them where they are. Let’s continue to pray for the Master’s guidance in all aspects of ministry that the House of Blessing is involved in. They are ministering to many thousands of people every single week.
After Pastor R and I finished praying together over the phone, he asked me to give his personal Christmas and Hanukkah greetings to everyone. Hanukkah just happens to be on the same date as Christmas Eve this year, December 24. No matter what day Jesus was really born, let’s celebrate the fact that He did in fact come to this earth and was the perfect Lamb of God, sent to take away the sins of the whole world. That is the reason for the season.
Thank you for your prayers for Pastor R and all of HOB. They know you are praying for them and it gives them great encouragement and strength to keep on with the work of the ministry as God has called them to.
God is good!
In His Service,
Jake Geier