Afterwords -- holy prayers
"And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake." (Revelation 8:3-5)
May 13, 2023
Dear friends,
I appreciate the individuals of our church who gather regularly for prayer, which occurs almost daily in the early mornings there. One group of men, who meet every other Saturday morning, have a special prayer focus upon the persecuted church around the world. It's overwhelming to hear of all the atrocity taking place across the globe out of hatred for Christ and his church.
FOR EXAMPLE, just in the last two weeks, Hindu mobs descended upon the Christian community in Manipur, India, killing 50 people, burning 25 churches, and displacing 23,000 from their homes. In Burkina Faso, west Africa, Jihadists slaughtered 44 people in predominantly Christian villages. In Eritrea over 100 young Christians were arrested, and in China there were multiple raids on church meetings. And this, "Late in the night of April 15th, more than 200 gunmen entered the village of Runji in Kaduna State, Nigeria. By the time they withdrew from the area an hour later, 33 villagers had been killed, at least six others were left injured, and more than 40 houses had been torched. Almost half of those killed during the attack were children." See the links below for these reports, and more.
"HOW LONG, O LORD?" This is a refrain heard both in the Old and New Testaments. David prayed to the Lord, "How long, O Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their destruction, my precious life from the lions! I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you." (Ps 35:17-18) And in the book of Revelation, the martyrs call out to the Lord, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" (Rev 6:10) As I read Revelation it is apparent that the prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8; 8:3-5), handled by angels like holy incense in golden bowls, must certainly include their heart-rending prayers for deliverance and for God's speedy judgment on earth. In chapter 8 we see immediately the result -- the answer to those holy prayers -- in the casting of fire upon the earth. We read that even during the earthly ministry of Jesus, he said, "I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!" (Luke 12:49)
"COME, LORD JESUS!" I have shifted a bit in my prayer for Christians suffering persecution around the world. I would pray for their comfort, for courage, for conversion of their persecutors, for deliverance, and for the advance of the gospel. But I have begun praying more earnestly for the Lord's return, which is the ultimate solution to injustice and suffering worldwide. The book of Revelation ends with these words, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev 22:20) Jesus taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matt 6:10) The Aramaic term "maranatha," used by the Apostle Paul, means "our Lord, come!" (1 Cor 16:22). As I look about our nation, and the world today, I see a desperate lack of righteous leadership. In fact, much unjust, evil leadership abounds everywhere. This world belongs to our Lord Jesus, and he alone will be able to put it right. So, as I am praying for others suffering around the world, I am praying (much more often now), "Come, Lord Jesus!"
ARTICLES
-- Learn more about our suffering brothers and sisters around the world, from Open Doors, and Voice of the Martyrs.
-- "The history of the church in Malawi cannot be written without mentioning Livingstone." Read more about David Livingstone here.
-- Speaking of Revelation, here is an excerpt from S. Lewis Johnson on the Lamb who is a Shepherd.
-- "If [Rod] Serling had lived a normal life span, he would have been vindicated in his belief that his own fears were common ones and that his diagnosis of his ailing society was accurate." Read about Rod Serling in "Medium of the Golden Age".
-- Montgomery County has a new virtual visitors' center.
FINAL QUOTE. "Odd—when Pax had ruled [on earth], there were thought police and the cardinal sin was to be a liberal, to experiment, to seek knowledge. Now the wheel had turned—to be conservative was suspect. To suggest that some old ways were better was to exhibit the evil signs of prejudice." --Andre Norton, Star Born (1957).
That's it for this week! (Have a good summer break, Hokies!)
Sandy
Image credit: Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.