Pray for All Who are Suffering

I was reading from Andrew Murray's "Helps to Intercession" this evening. I like doing this sometimes when I feel the need to pray but want some direction...tonight had a great bit of advice. "Pray for all who are suffering". I thought I would share the little excerpt with you all, and encourage you to pray for those suffering in our world as well! Praying for the things mentioned below opened up so many other things that the Lord brought to my mind. We can pray in general so often, but should always be open to the where the Holy Spirit is leading us to pray.

Hope you are blessed and encouraged in your prayer time!

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"Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also." Hebrews 13:3

What a world of suffering we live in! How Jesus sacrificed all and identified Himself with it! Let us in our measure do so too. The persecuted, the Jews, the famine-stricken millions of India, the hidden slavery of Africa, the poverty and wretchedness of our great cities - and so much more: what suffering among those who know God and who know Him not. And then in smaller circles, in ten thousand homes and hearts, what sorrow. In our own neighborhood, how many needing help or comfort. Let us have a heart for, let us think of the suffering. It will stir us to pray, to work, to hope, to love more. And in a way and time we know not God will hear our prayer.

Praying for the Persecuted Church - Syria #2

This article is from April 28, 2011. Let's use it to continue our month of praying for Syria and our Christian brothers and sisters there.
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Syria: Christians Pray for Opening of Gospel

Ava Thomas, Baptist Press

DAMASCUS, Syria (BP)--She didn't realize it was a dangerous question. All Natalie Shepherd* wanted to do was learn the Arabic word for lion.

"We were sitting in a public place with my husband's Arabic teacher in Syria, and I pointed to a statue of a lion and asked him how to pronounce it," said Shepherd, formerly a Southern Baptist worker in the country. "His eyes got huge, and he said, 'Shhhh! We can't say that out loud in public!'"

The Arabic word for lion -- asad -- also is the president's surname, and the Shepherds' teacher didn't want to risk someone overhearing and thinking he was slandering the president's family.

That was years ago.

A lot has since changed, said Shepherd, who in recent days has watched images on television of Syrian protesters rising up in force to demand that President Bashar al-Assad step down. The nation is the current hot spot in the region's outbreak of political turmoil, and more than 300 people have been killed by government forces seeking to crush the opposition, according to news sources.

Tanks are rolling through cities and villages. Some observers have reminisced in the midst of all the violence about the thousands of Syrians killed when Assad's father, President Hafez al-Assad, flattened an entire section of a city to quell opposition forces in 1982.

The elder Assad was the one in power when Shepherd asked about the lion statue.

"As much as my teacher didn't want to be overheard talking about the president back then, I know that the people today had full awareness based on their history of what revolting would entail," she said. "This is a historic moment for Syria in many ways."

Shepherd and other Christian workers in the region pray it will be a spiritually historic moment for the nation as well. She remembers during her time in Syria staying up all night with believers praying that God would do whatever it took to bring salvation to the peoples of Syria.

"It's been a consistent attitude among the body to really cry out to God through prayer that the Gospel would spread and take root there again," Shepherd said.

It's happened before, she said.

She recounted a story of her husband visiting a man who lived along Straight Street where Ananias lived in Acts 9 and how, after a colleague accompanied by her husband shared with the Syrian man, he accepted Christ on the spot.

At first, the young man's family would have nothing to do with the foreigners -- they wouldn't even stay in the house when he would have them over for a meal. But by the time the Shepherds left Syria, they were sitting with the entire family around the table, the mother of the family doting on Shepherd during the meal.

"It was a story of transformation and change, and as we drove through the country and saw villages filled with minarets, we prayed that change would keep going," she said.

The church has met with some persecution in the country, but the Gospel is still advancing, she said. One way this is happening is through a movie made by Syrian actors on the life of Paul, a film even government officials have watched.

An audio project is also underway that will soon provide Scripture for the Syrian people in their dialect, Shepherd said. "The Word is spreading."

She and other Christian workers in the region ask for believers to pray:

• for the Lord to keep working in Syria and for the door to be open to the Gospel during this time of unrest.
• for Christians in Syria to be bold in proclaiming Jesus Christ.
• for a great harvest of souls in Syria.

*Names have been changed.

Praying for the Persecuted Church - Syria

As it is now May, it is time to be praying for a new country. With so much going on in Syria right now I thought that this would be a good country to pick. Will you join me in praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are in Syria right now?

Below is an article from Open Doors USA, written on April 20th. Let's use this to guide us as we begin praying for Syria.

“The church is fasting and praying. People on the street are asking God to keep the peace in Syria … If anything happens, Christians will be the first to be attacked, killed and destroyed by Muslims, Druze and all. Prayers are needed at this time.” – a Syrian Believer

As protestors take to the streets of Syria, some calling for reform within the ruling Baath party and others demanding the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad, concern is growing among Syrian Christians about the consequences of a regime change or legal reforms on the government’s protection of vulnerable religious minorities. Though some see these proposed reforms as positive developments for the Syrian people, other believers recognize the potential for Muslim groups to target defenseless Christians as government control loosens as has happened in Egypt. Rumors are spreading of plans by militant Muslims to attack Christians when the state of emergency which has allowed the ruling Baath party to maintain control since 1963 is lifted by the government. Fear of attacks against believers have prompted many parents to keep their children home from school on Fridays to avoid the possibility that a group coming from the mosque will harass the children on their way home from school.

Christians make up 9% of the Syrian population and have been allowed a degree of religious freedom under the current government. Though the central government and local officials strongly discourage Christians from evangelizing, the nearly 2 million believers in Syria have been allowed to worship openly by the Al-Assad regime. Syrian believers are well aware of how easily this freedom could be snatched away from them. A Syrian believer testified, “The Christians in Syria are scared that if anything happens to the current system, their situation will be like Iraq, if not worse!”

Believers facing a choice between fleeing their homes, businesses and communities or staying to deal with a tense situation that could escalate into violence against Christians at a moment’s notice are fasting and praying for God’s wisdom and direction. Join in praying for our brothers and sisters in Syria, that they would be strengthened in their faith and that God would work in the political situation to secure protection for Syria’s vulnerable Christian minority.

Father, thank you for your continued faithfulness to the believers in Syria. In the face of violent threats and political unrest, strengthen and encourage believers in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Even in the midst of uncertainty and fear, grant Syrian Christians boldness to share the truth of Christ with members of their community. Please move in the hearts of Syrian government officials to continue to protect vulnerable believers. Father, let Your perfect peace cover this troubled nation bringing hope for the citizens of Syria. Amen

Consider fasting in unity with our brothers and sisters in Syria. Please let Open Doors know of this decision by sending a message to Prayer@ODUSA.org.

He is Risen!

"But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him."
Mark 16:6

"He is not here; for He is risen, as He said..."
Matthew 28:6a

"Therefore, when He had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had said this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had said."
John 2:22

"So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God."
Mark 16:19

The story is over for now! Jesus came and died for our sins and this day we celebrate His resurrection, and His conquering of death and sin.

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
John 14:1-3

What's next? We anxiously await His return!

Happy Easter and come for Your Church Lord Jesus!

He Came to Give His Life - Good Friday

"For even the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
Mark 10:45

Now when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, “Look, He is calling for Elijah!” Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down.”
And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.
Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!”
Mark 15:33-39

So what is so "Good" about Good Friday? We celebrate and recognize and remember and give glory to the GOODNESS that God showed us, by sending His only Son to earth, to pay the price for our sins. We are thankful for GOODNESS that Jesus showed us, by being obedient to His Father and coming to earth, living a perfect and holy life, and then fulfilling His Father's will by going to the cross. The entire reason He came to earth, was for the cross.

And we celebrate the GOODNESS of knowing that the story does not end today, Good Friday with Jesus hanging on a cross, or lying in a tomb . . .

The story ends on Easter Sunday. . .

Praying for the Persecuted Church - Iran #2

This is just a reminder to be praying for Iran this month!

Join me as we pray for:

Those who are doing the persecuting in Iran. That just like Paul, they would turn from being persecutors of the Church to proclaimers of the Truth of the Gospel!

Pray for those being persecuted that the Lord would give them strength, hope, peace, joy, patience and endurance to continue to run the race. That through their light and example others around them would be drawn to Christ.

Pray for protection of Christians in Iran.

Pray that the Christians of Iran would find fellowship and that their joy would be made complete as they are encouraged by other believers.

Pray for the people of Iran, and all of it's leaders, that the Lord would soften their hearts and open their eyes. That Light of the Truth of the Lord would penetrate the darkness and that they would turn from their ways to the Truth of the Gospel.

I am Blessed

I was talking about my time in Romania this afternoon with some old friends. Sometimes I feel that when I talk about all that the Lord brought me through and all that He did for me and how He changed me there, I feel as though I am just telling a "story". As though I am talking about someone else. But then it hits me, it really did all happen, all those stories of the Lord protecting me, providing for me, and being there for me when I was alone, are TRUE. How He showed Himself faithful over and over and spoke to me through His Word, how He met me where I was and loved me enough to not leave me there.

"For you shall not go out with haste, Nor go by flight; For the LORD will go before you, And the God of Israel will be your rear guard." Isaiah 52:12

"Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by." Psalm 57:1

I am not the little girl who moved to Romania in 2007. I was put through some fire and floods and wildernesses.....but the Lord was always before me leading me, always behind me protecting me and always above me allowing me to hide in the shadow of His wings. He has kept me in the palm of His hand and has changed me in a way I know that would not have been possible had I not moved to Romania and experienced all the good and bad that went with that. Anything the enemy meant for evil the Lord worked together for good.

HE IS FAITHFUL.

And I am blessed.

Just had to share that tonight.

grace and peace,
rachel

In a Dry and Thirsty Land...

"O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water."
Psalm 63:1

A Month of Meditation

This is a great devo from Tozer...makes me think....it's sort of pathetic as Christians that we need to be challenged to spend "just a month" meditating on the Word of God...but I am going to accept this challenge....and prayerfully it will turn into a new habit and a life long commitment to take the Bible more seriously and more prayerfully consider and read through and meditate on the things written inside it. After all it is the WORD OF GOD....how amazing and blessed are we to be able to read this!

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Prayer: Just Meditate for a Month

But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates
day and night.
--Psalm 1:2

Let the old saints be our example. They came to the Word of God and
meditated. They laid the Bible on the old-fashioned, handmade chair,
got down on the old, scrubbed, board floor and meditated on the Word.
As they waited, faith mounted. The Spirit and faith illuminated.
They had only a Bible with fine print, narrow margins and poor paper,
but they knew their Bible better than some of us do with all of our
helps.

Let's practice the art of Bible meditation.... Let us open our
Bibles, spread them out on a chair and meditate on the Word of God.
It will open itself to us, and the Spirit of God will come and
brood over it.

I do challenge you to meditate, quietly, reverently, prayerfully,
for a month. Put away questions and answers and the filling in of
the blank lines in the portions you haven't been able to understand.
Put all of the cheap trash away and take the Bible, get on your
knees, and in faith, say, "Father, here I am. Begin to teach me!"
The Counselor, 136-137.

Praying for the Persecuted Church - Iran

It's a new month, and so it's time to start praying for a new country and our brothers and sisters serving Christ in countries where they are not free to do so! Please join me in praying for Iran this month.

Leader: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Population: 74.2 million

Christian: 450,000

Main Religion: Islam

Government: Islamic republic

There was a sharp increase in the number of Christians arrested at the start of 2010. Although some were later released, pressure on the church remains high. Many of the approximately 350,000 believers from a Muslim background live in fear of harassment by the government. The regime lost credibility following the turmoil of the 2009 elections, and in an effort to distract attention from continuing protests against it, it is increasingly lashing out against Christians.

Things to Pray For:
• For protection for Christians in prison, and for perseverance for those under surveillance
• There is a huge need for Bibles. Ask God to supply His people with His Word.
• The majority of the population is under 30. Pray that many will be reached with the gospel and find real freedom in Jesus.

*Information obtained from the 2011 World Watch List