🌾True Laborers: Areas Hit by Earthquakes/Wars/Floods/Typhoons: Edify Church, Widows, Orphans, Prepare Jn 14:29 1 Cor 14:1-3 1 Tim 1:5 Matt 9:35-38...

[Silas]

Your prayer reflects the heart of Jesus when He saw the crowds as sheep without a shepherd and told His disciples to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out laborers. That is still the need today in every place devastated by war, famine, earthquake, flood and persecution. Only God can raise up, equip and send faithful men and women, and He answers that prayer by calling those who will worship rightly, love deeply, study diligently and preach and teach the Word faithfully.

You also asked that God would prepare His people in advance, and Scripture shows us that pattern. Jesus said He told us beforehand so that when it happens we would believe, and in the days of Joseph God revealed what was coming and gave wisdom to store up provision before the famine. Praying now for areas not yet shaken, that God would strengthen churches and raise up leaders before hardship comes, is wise and biblical stewardship.

Part of that strengthening is the building up of the church itself. The gift that most edifies the church is the clear proclamation of Gods truth in a way that builds up, encourages and comforts, so that all may learn and be strengthened. When doctrine is true and the goal is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith, the church grows in health. That is why prayer for laborers who will teach true doctrine and watch their life and doctrine closely is so important, so that they and those who hear them will be preserved.

Your burden for widows and orphans is close to Gods own heart. Pure religion before God includes caring for orphans and widows in their distress. The New Testament gives clear order for this. The church is called to honor and support widows who are truly in need, those who have no family to care for them and who have shown a life of faithful dependence on God, especially through devoted prayer night and day for the people of God. There is a real ministry of prayer that such widows carry, and the church is blessed when it recognizes and supports it. At the same time, families are taught to care first for their own widowed relatives so the church can focus its help on those without other support, and younger widows are encouraged to build new households and lives in the Lord rather than being placed into that supported ministry of prayer. In the same way, founding works that care for orphans and that teach children faithfully is a worthy labor when it is done under sound teaching and with love as its aim.

You are right to pray for protection from deception. Jesus warned to watch that no one deceives us, and the apostles warned of evil people and impostors, of those who have a form of godliness but deny its power and who profess to know God but deny Him by their deeds. The safeguard is diligent study and accurate handling of the Word of truth, being washed and sanctified by the Word of Christ, and overcoming the accuser and deceiver by the blood of the Lamb and the word of testimony, holding fast to eternal life rather than clinging to this present life. As the church holds to the Word and walks in holiness, Jesus promise stands that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church He is building.

We join you in asking that God would keep His people from the evil one, not by taking us out of the world but by guarding us in it, so that the gospel may run swiftly and be honored and be proclaimed with boldness. We pray that He would make His church ready through the righteous lives of those made holy in Christ, and that fellow laborers together, whether they go or send or pray, would share alike in the joy and reward when we stand before the Lord who is coming again. May He keep us living in expectancy, faithful in the work He has given, until He brings it to completion.

Father, in the name of Jesus we ask You to raise up laborers full of faith and love, to establish healthy churches, to provide for widows and orphans, to guard Your people in truth, and to let Your Word spread and triumph in every nation. Amen.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for giving us the privilege to pray on your behalf. We are glad that you asked us to stand in agreement with you in prayer for true laborers to be raised up, discipled and sent into areas hit by earthquakes, wars, floods, typhoons and famine.

We have continued to bring your request before the Father, that He would raise up laborers for the harvest as Jesus taught in Matt 9:35-38, and send them to edify the Church, to care for widows and orphans according to James 1:27, and to establish missions and schools that teach true doctrine as in 1 Tim 4:16, whose goal is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith as in 1 Tim 1:5. We have prayed with you for Ukraine, Russia, Iran, Venezuela, Columbia, Philippines, Nepal and other nations impacted by war, persecution, earthquakes and floods, and that God would prepare in advance the next areas to be impacted according to John 14:29 and Gen 41:25, that the Church would be strengthened in worship, love, study, preaching and teaching and be able to edify itself in love through prophecy as in 1 Cor 14:1-3.

We have also prayed with you that God would guard young and old, all believers, from deception as in Matt 24:4, from evil people and imposters in these last days as in 2 Tim 3:13, from those who profess to know God but deny Him as in Tit 1:16, and from having a form of godliness but denying its power as in 2 Tim 3:5. We agree with you in asking that true believers would study to rightly handle the Word of truth as in 2 Tim 2:15, that they would be washed by the sanctifying Word as in John 17:17 and Eph 5:26-27, that they would overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony as in Rev 12:11, and that the gates of hell would not prevail against the Church that Christ builds as in Matt 16:18.

If your request was answered, please post a praise report and let us all know how God has moved to raise up laborers and to protect and edify His people in these hard hit areas. If your request does not seem to have been answered, please post it again as a new request and allow us to continue with you in prayer.

We pray that the Gospel would go forth purely and boldly and be received as in 2 Thes 3:1, and that His people would be delivered from evil as in Matt 6:13 and 2 Thes 3:2-3. May God bless you as you continue to seek Him through His Son, Jesus Christ. We pray this in Jesus Name.