Prayer Warriors

Dear Friends and Prayer Warriors,

As many of you might already know, my dad has been battling cancer for about two and a half years now. Throughout much of this time, he has been experiencing extreme amounts of pain as the cancer eats away at his bones and presses up against nerve clusters in his back. At the same time, up until this week, his doctors remained optimistic that they could keep the cancer under control. Two days ago, however, we received the news that we were hoping to never hear: the cancer is out of control, there is no longer anything the doctors can do, and my dad has about 6 months left to live. This was obviously a devastating blow for my dad and for our entire family. In this situation, we are forced even more desperately onto our knees to pray for God's miraculous touch.

I'm writing all of you to ask that you join me as an army of prayer warriors interceding on behalf of my dad. I'm asking you to join with me in believing Jesus' words in Mark 10:27: "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God." You are all my brothers and sisters in Christ, and I'm asking you to help carry this heavy burden with my family and me.

Here are some specific ways you can be praying:

• Pray for relief from the intense pain that my dad experiences on a daily basis.
• Pray for strength for my dad. He has lost about 100 lbs. now, and he can barely walk.
• Pray for strength for my mom. She has faithfully remained by my dad's side through all of this, often enduring sleepless, pain-filled nights alongside him.
• Pray that both my mom and dad can find moments of rest and peace during these difficult times.
• Pray that if these are our last few months with my dad, that they would be filled with meaningful and joy-filled experiences for my family.
• Pray that the Lord would intercede with a miraculous touch, for HIS glory!!!

Please take time, even now, to bring these requests before the Lord! He hears our prayers!

Blessings,

Adam

on prayer.

"God thinks much more of your desires than of the words in which they are expressed. It may be natural for a scholar to consider the accuracy of your terms, but God especially notes the sincerity of your soul. There is no other place where the heart should be so free as before the mercy seat. There, you can talk out your very soul, for that is the best prayer that you can present. Do not ask for what some tell you that you should ask for, but for that which you feel the need of, that which the Holy Spirit has made you to hunger and to thirst for, you ask for that."

-C.H. Spurgeon, from a sermon entitled "Pray, Always Pray"

The Power of Prayer (and the Problem of Pain)

Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. (James 5:13-15)

Most of us have read this passage of Scripture before. We know that prayer is important--that God hears our prayers and answers them (though not always in the way we want). As good Christians, we "know" these things...

At the same time, most of us have known other good Christian people--people just like us--who have died too young. They begged God for healing, but God was silent. They believed in God for healing, but He had other plans. We all know someone like that. And I think, if we were honest, that messes with our heads sometimes. We have lots of questions for God:

God, why do you allow pain and suffering?

God, why didn't you heal ____________ ?

God, can you really hear me? Where are you!?

We all have these questions. And, sometimes, because of these questions we begin to doubt God. We may still want to trust in God, but our faith is shaken. And often times, for this reason, we stop praying. We disobey the command in James 5 to pray because we're afraid that God won't answer our prayers. We're afraid that God won't show up and do the miraculous. We don't want to look like idiots when God doesn't show up, so we simply don't pray.

Most of you know that my dad is terribly sick. In fact, if something miraculous doesn't happen soon, my dad's time left on this earth could be very short. His chemo treatments have not been working. The doctors aren't sure what else they can do. It's getting down to crunch time, and it's time that we seriously get on our knees in prayer.

Tonight we will be putting James 5:13-15 into practice. My dad has called the pastors and the elders of his church together to pray over him and anoint him with oil for healing. We are trusting God for a miracle. It's scary...I mean, what if God doesn't show up? But yet in faith we know that God has the power to heal, and in obedience to His Word we are asking for His healing touch.

PLEASE JOIN US IN PRAYING FOR A MIRACLE!!!

One more closing thought. About a year ago, I ran across a passage of Scripture as I was reading through Isaiah that shed some new light on situations like my dad's. In the first two verses of chapter 57, Isaiah writes:

The righteous perish,
and no one ponders it in his heart;
devout men are taken away,
and no one understands
that the righteous are taken away
to be spared from evil.
Those who walk uprightly
enter into peace;
they find rest as they lie in death.

It's difficult to think of things this way, but I really do just want my dad to be restored and healed. And I know that in his glorified, eternal body, my dad will be in peace and free from pain. Selfishly, I want many more years with my dad, but God knows what is best. God may choose to heal my dad by "sparing him from evil" and allowing him to "enter into peace." And who am I to argue with God?

But regardless of God's answer in this situation...

WE MUST PRAY!!!

Future Plans...

Not to be too ambiguous, but I had a couple big meetings this week with HUGE implications for my future in ministry and the potential direction God might be calling me. I'll share more when the time is right. But for now, please just pray that God would make it clear what steps I need to be taking in the near future. Thanks.

Blessings,
Adam

Persecution in India

Several months back, I introduced you to Sreejan, a young believer that I met in India. Sreejan lives in the province of Orissa, a place where I have been told there is great persecution of Christians. Recently, the following letter was passed onto me from a pastor in Orissa:

RESPECTED SIR,
GREETINGS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY IN THE MATCHLESS NAME OF THE LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

      SIR,PLEASE PRAY FOR THE ORISSA BECAUSE THIS TIME ALL THE RSS,BAJARANG DAL AND BISPAHINDU PARISADA BEATING CHRISTIAN PEOPLE AND BREAKING THE CHURCHES AND ALSO BURNING THE CHURCHES IN ORISSA STATE.  

      THE NOCSLET SHOOTED TO LAKHAMONAND PUJARI BUT THE ORISSA RSS AND BAJARANG DAL AND BISPAHINDUPARISAD MADE STRIK IN ORISSA STATE AND BURNT ALL THE CHURCHES AND HOUSES OF THE CHRISTIAN PEOPLE THEY THINKING CHRISTIAN PEOPLE KILLED HIM.

      IN GAJAPATHI DISTRICT THEY WENT SOME VILLAGES AND BROKEN THE CHURCHES AND BURNED THE CHURCHES ALSO BURNED THE HOUSES OF CHRISTIAN PEOPLE. 

      ANY HOW THEY NOT ATTACKED US NEITHER BURNED OUR CHURCH OR HOUSES,BY THE GRACE OF GOD NOW WE ARE VERY FINE AND DOING THE GOD'S WORK IN OUR AREA WHERE THE GOSPEL IS NOT REACHED THERE WE REACHING CHRIST.

      PERSECUTION IS GOING ON IN ORISSA ALSO THE GOD'S WORK GOING ON IN ORISSA STATE. PLEASE PRAY FOR ORISSA AND FOR OUR MINISTRY TO BE GROW.
                                    THANKING YOU  

                                    YOUR BRO,P.C.BANTU

Pardon the broken English, but the message is clear! Our brothers and sisters in Christ in India are in need of our prayers. In just 10 short days that I spent with the believers in India they captured my heart. Each month I still receive an email from a pastor there who is praying for me, for my ministry, and for the church in America. I am always so humbled that they remember us in their prayers. How, then, can we abandon them in their time of greatest need?! Please, join me in prayer for the church in Orissa.

Pray for Brother Sreejan and other believers from Orissa.

Pray for the future of India, the children who are also greatly 

affected by these attacks.

Pray for the pastors in India, and specifically for those in Orissa who are facing great trials and persecution at this time.