Monday

“For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,

and His ears are open to their prayers;

but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

~1 Peter 3:12~

 

INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS PRAYERLINE
IMB
Monday, April 25, 2011

“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth,” (2 Timothy 2:15, ESV).

Dear Intercessors, this is Eleanor Witcher of the Office of Global Prayer Strategy, joining you in prayer for Bible studies.

Several young believers, working in groups of two or three, have been doing ministry in low-income areas around the city of Ahmedabad, India. They are telling stories from the Bible and teaching people what being a Christian means and what a church should be. One group is even asking whether it is time for them to start a church. Please pray for these young believers. Many of them have only been following Christ for a short time and are still learning themselves.

A key couple in a Bible study group, meeting in the Patagonia of Argentina, accepted Christ in early 2010 and has been growing steadily in their faith. Recently they have come under spiritual attack on various fronts.

Back in January 2010, two workers started Bible studies in four hard-to-reach villages along the Oras River in the Eastern Samar province, the Philippines. Pray for these Bible study groups to begin meeting regularly on their own and that a biblical understanding of salvation will result in a heart change among the Waray-Waray.

A foreign student is now studying in Malaysia and has been attending a Bible study group. He has begun reading the Bible for the first time. In his home country, he saw many cruel things being done by the leaders against the citizens. When presented with the biblical mandate to forgive and love one’s enemies, he became aware of the contrast between his life and that of a follower of Jesus. Pray that his questions will be answered and that he will see the truth.

* Please pray for the various groups that are meeting, asking that people will receive Christ as Savior and that believers will be well discipled.

* Pray that they will all have wisdom as to when their small groups should form into a church.

* Give thanks for God’s training provided through His Word.

 

Thank God for the beautiful day He provided yesterday.  I know lots of families spent part of the day outside.

 

Mrs. Margaret Callihan was able to be at church yesterday.  Thank God for her recovery from her recent surgery.

 

Several people are dealing with shingles.  Pray for them to have fast relief.

 

Be careful to watch out for students who are out of school and spending much of their days outside.

 

THE SURROUNDING MASTER

The author of the following story is unknown to me:

A mother wishing to encourage her young son’s progress at the piano brought him to a concert given by the famous Polish pianist, Paderewski.  When the evening arrived, they found their seats near the front of the concert hall and eyed the majestic Steinway waiting on stage.  Soon the mother found a friend to talk to, and the boy slipped away.

At eight o’clock, the lights in the auditorium began to dim, the spotlights came on, and only then did they notice the boy upon the bench, innocently picking out “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”.

His mother gasped, but before she could retrieve her son, the master appeared on the stage and quickly moved to the keyboard.  He whispered to the boy, “Don’t quit.  Keep playing.”

Leaning over, Paderewski reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part.  Soon his right arm reached around the other side and  improvised a delightful obbligato.  Together, the old master and the young novice held the crowd mesmerized.

In our lives, unpolished though we may be, it is the Master who surrounds us and whispers in our ear time and time again, “Don’t quit.  Keep playing.”  And as we do, He augments and supplements, until a work of amazing beauty is created.

“Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Have a great day!

Alan Smith
Helen Street Church of Christ
Fayetteville, North Carolina

Have a wonderful day!

Anna Lee