Greetings from Peru. How I am grateful for those who pray for me from their desire to see God exalted, His people encouraged, and to those in need of finding purpose in life in coming to God with conviction of their need of a Saviour and their need to live their temporal life under His authority knowing that eternally we will be living under our Creators authority. We can only trust God when we begin to understand and experience His loving care and discipline in our lives learning that it is impossible for him to lie because He is Truth, He is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent everywhere. His love for the individual is eternally strong, beyond our imagination in that nothing can break it; Romans 8:31-32,35-39. Hallelujah!
What does all this mean when we serve the Lord in reaching out in other peoples lives over which we do not have the power, nor wisdom, to change their circumstances nor solve their seemingly impossible conditions that require supernatural miracles? It makes all the difference in knowing that God loves the person for whom I pray, that God has a plan for this person if they will humbly seek Him and find real answers to their lives as they trust and submit to Him. I do not have what it takes to solve people’s problems that are brought to me out of a concern to pray and advise. It is clear that it will take a miracle in so many cases in human problems involving their inability to change themselves or circumstances, especially if it involves the wills and determination of others.
A professor from the university, about 20 years my junior, mixed religious background has come to an evangelical church with me twice and discussed his experience with a family member also; and we will see what the Lord may work in this case. Previously a few years ago, I did attend a mass in memory for his wife. I am also praying for other family members. My wife actually taught his wife, a lawyer, English when my wife was living in Peru; so I have known the family over many years.
A Christian mother came to me in tears for her son who has suddenly gone into deep depression changing his behaviour radically and he may not return next month to university. This lad is away from home at present and the mother is anxiously waiting for his return and fearful about his change of behaviour. This family does not speak English but she has requested that I talk to her son when he hopefully returns. I prayed with her for the Lord to bring her son out of this depression and in doing so he has to recognise his need of the Lord immediately and in the future…not just to solve this problem to get him back to university.
It has just happened that a family member is being sent to bring him home arriving the night before I leave Peru. I do not understand but the circumstances, but it points to the fact that the Lord is working in this situation differently than I had expected.
Next week I am invited to visit a family struggling to stay together for the sake of their two children at university and another finished university. Another situation that requires the Holy Spirit to work miracles; the wife is struggling in her belief in a God that does not seem to answers prayers or doesn’t care and she has been attending a church alone for a some years where she has had some counselling. Such a case involves individuals with strong wills and often angry against God. Again we need a miracle from our Creator who loves and has His claims on all our lives.
Studying the life of Jesus is eye opening, as He never seems to hurry, seems to follow a normal life as he walks from place to place meeting the needs miraculously of those he met and He is always in the will of God. There were many people that needed Him that He did not meet nor heal; this fact teaches me that we are to serve those with whom we are in contact, meaning that God uses us as His instruments in doing His work and supplies and gifts us to do what He intends for us to do. This is comforting because God does not ask us to do what is impossible, because God is doing the work (Eph.2:10, 17-22), it is His work; we are only His servants who are expected to obey. It is so freeing to rest in the Lord and not to fear, nor fret nor worry but live trusting by faith. I am dealing with other cases but much simpler.
Thank you for praying for me and I am so grateful. Our prayers were answered in my arriving in Peru on Schedule with a good flight. I also pray for you at ABC.
I close with a doxology from Revelation 1:5b-6 “Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood and has made us kings and priests unto God and His Father; to Him be glory and dominion for ever. Amen.” (We are made kings to serve in our capacity to make decisions to help others, and as priests to mediate to God on the behalf of others).
Your fellow servant in the love of Christ,
Barry
