**Today's guest devotion is from Jack Siefaff. He and his wife Pamela live in Burnsville. They began worshiping with us at the start of the year. They hope to head to Glascow, Scotland as soon as the pandemic allows. There they will minister to a large group of international students, many of whom are Chinese.**
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
The days seem to be getting longer with the coronavirus quarantines in effect. We have less human contact and so we have to rely on God more than ever before.
I think of John the Apostle forced on to the Isle of Patmos. He was called the “apostle of love” because he wrote so much about love in his epistles. He was also called the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” However, there he was on the Isle of Patmos all alone without others to uphold him. No doubt he used the time to get closer to God and he wrote the final book of the Bible, Revelation.
With more time for solitude, how can we also get closer to God and be of greater service to others?
Most of us agree in our hearts that the greatest work we can do for God and for others is to pray. Many of us now have more time for prayer than ever before.
How do we pray? Well, we have the whole Book of Psalms to teach us how to pray. There are also many prayers in the Bible to guide us such as the prayers of Jesus, Paul, Moses, etc. God promises to never leave us. He promises that he will draw closer to us as we draw close to him. (Hebrews 13:5, James 4:8) God is weaning us off all our idols. All the things that propped us up without solid reliance on God.
I believe God wants to move in a mighty way on our behalf, but we must be faithful to pray and seek his face. Zechariah 2:13 Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.”
Don’t let your sufferings be in vain. Draw close to God so that you may one day hear these words from him to you, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” Matthew 25:21
Pamela and I ministered in China for over 15 years with our 8 children. We often had illnesses, persecutions and difficulties, but we saw God deliver us time and time again. He is faithful! All our children benefited from the experience. “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24
Here is a recent story of answered prayer from 9marks.org:
"After nearly three years of suffering from Eosinophilic Gastritis, my wife Marcia was near death. She had lost a significant amount of her body weight and doctors could find no medical solution. They had only succeeded at finding medication that helped some but worsened her condition. Finally, after exhausting all local options, we made an appointment for her to be seen at Mayo Clinic, Rochester. I explained the problem to the church as we set off for Minnesota. They prayed corporately for her and in many small groups. Something strange occurred the night before her first appointment; she awakened and said she was in absolutely no pain, for the first time in three years.
She ate a little breakfast without pain. The doctors performed extensive tests and proved the disease that was destroying her life was healed. They had no explanation other than it was a miracle." (Dennis Newkirk)
Brothers and sisters, let’s continue to pray for each other as the First Presbyterian Church of Weaverville directs us. Contact the church to get on the email list for corporate prayer. It’s fantastic to see God answer our prayers for each other! May God bless you!
Jack Sielaff