In Prison for More Than a Day
One of the women in our church family had her husband abducted from their home at gunpoint in the middle of the night. As of this morning she does not know where he is, or even whether he is dead or alive. She and their three children are obviously both distraught and afraid.
The reason you did not see this story in the headlines of your morning newsfeed is because this woman lives in Pakistan. Or North Korea or Nigeria. Crimes like these are common in such countries and only the most horrific make headlines here in America. Yet she, and thousands like her, are no less part of Christ’s family and we are called to care for them as such. “Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” (Hebrews 13:3)
Last weekend we gave ourselves to the task of praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters. I felt it was a powerful and meaningful time praying together. But now it’s Tuesday and they’re still suffering. Do we just move on? Can you imagine telling your sister, “Hang in there, sis, I’ll pray for you next year.” That would be unthinkable, yet is also inevitable unless we find some way to do otherwise.
This is one of the reasons Kristin and I are part of the Thursday night Prayer Group. We gather in the Youth Room at 7:00pm and simply pray for an hour. An excellent prayer guide is always prepared listing current needs of our immediate church family, our missionaries and our persecuted believers around the world. I love going to Prayer Group because it enables me to move from bring a person who desires to pray regularly for the persecuted to a person who actually prays regularly for them.
In a sense, the Prayer Team spends an hour in prison every Thursday night, sitting beside them in prayer. There is room in the cell for you too.
Pastor Toby
P.S. There is a second prayer group in Pastor Matt’s office on Sunday mornings at 11:15am. This group focuses on praying for those who need to receive Christ. Contact Pastor Matt for more information.
Categories: Evergreen Connection