Monday, June 18, 2018

Hard pressed on every side, but not crushed

How much more can a person handle when it seems no matter how hard they try, they are continually smacked in the face by life?

"J" is a believer and wants to serve God and be on mission to those around him, but he is finding basic survival difficult--he is trying to look to the Lord for his strength and hope but needs your prayers. This friend has been in a very difficult place in life for years now.  Recently he got a new job with much better salary and conditions, and it seemed that finally things could better...then one thing after another have started to hit him from every side.  His young daughter's medical condition has returned, and doctors say she needs another very expensive treatment that isn't covered on national insurance; he is working too many jobs and ruining his health; his bicycle, which he counts on for transportation to and from his jobs, was stolen in broad daylight along with things he had in the new "saddlebags" he had invested in; now something has arisen at the new job that doesn't look good for him.

Pray for wisdom and continued spiritual growth for him, that the truth will come to light at work and that he will not lose that position, that he will be able to moderate his lifestyle to a much healthier balance (including time to sleep!), and that the Lord will provide for his and his family's needs. Ask that God will provide healing for his daughter, whether through the special medical treatment or through outright healing of the condition. Through all this, pray that the Lord will comfort and strengthen him, using this in his life as a testimony of who Christ is - may the lost family and friends looking on see Jesus in him and know that they can trust their lives to the Savior.

 "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body."   2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NIV)

Monday, June 4, 2018

Mr. and Mrs. G ask for prayer

I just got off the phone from a very sad conversation with a friend.  She and her husband ask for prayer that they will hear from the Lord soon in what to do next, and that He will provide jobs for them that pay enough to cover rent, food, and basic necessities. They moved here not long ago from a neighboring country, believing that it was a calling from God and that He would use them to further His Kingdom through their lives. Now they are wondering what His plan is and are not able to maintain things as they are while they wait for direction.  They are both educated and very hard-working, able people, but just can't find jobs that they can live on.  She has been doing some housecleaning for someone but they can't go on this way.  She said they are willing to stay here or go to another country, but she's aware that many times jobs you find on the Internet are scams and dangerous situations. 

Please pray for this precious brother and sister, that the Lord will strengthen them and lead them in the way He would have them go; ask that He will soon show them what steps to take next and that He will provide for their needs.  May He bring them through this time of difficulty to a place of joy, somehow using it to His glory and their good.