Brethren Praying For Us

We have been graciously gifted by the LORD with interceding brethren from Lubbock Reformed Church in Texas and Grace Covenant Reformed Church in New Mexico who are partakers of our labors in this part of Father's vineyard. His hand is greatly manifest both in the work and in our spiritual preservation. I do not say this loosely, for I have never been under greater spiritual oppression than presently, and my dependency upon God's grace made more clear.

It is one thing to read "praying" in the comments section of posts asking for prayer, it is quite a different thing to listen to brethren actually intercede on your behalf, much more when they plead for you in their secret closet. I find it shallow and superficial to actually tell the brother for the sake of letting him know that I am praying for him. Let him see the LORD's hand moving himself and glorify Him, as God answers me in my secret closet in behalf of him.

I believe with all my heart that as sure as God has ordained that I should answer His call unto salvation that He used somebody I will probably never know till I get to the throne, to intercede for the conversion of souls, and that I am the fruit of such prayers. God has graciously involved His church in THE Great Commission of displaying before all His power by the Gospel in calling the elect to Himself. He does not use angels, but fallible men, taken and broken, laden with His cross, His yoke and burden, enabled by His Spirit, and gifted with the prayers He Himself will answer.

I always look forward to those last minute encounters after every public pleading. Father seemingly prepares people at the last minute. But alas, the last minute is still part of the whole commission. I will never be able to fill every need and exhaust every minute necessary for the advancement of the gospel's. There will always be the need for more laborers. Sadly, there are those who are into Christ merely for His benefits, and not for His worth. 

Romeo is a parking attendant who works around the area of my ministry. I can immediately tell he was enthusiastic about his work, beaming with a happy disposition in spite of having what many would call a simple and almost unnecessary occupation. 

Although he has a noticeable speech impediment, he is happier than most people I have talked with. He pointed to me where he sleeps on the sidewalk and shared how he tried taking his life a number of times by jumping over the bridge nearby and even attempted to hang himself. Both of his parents died of sickness. He used to live in his brother's house but when he started bringing his sodomite lover with them, he chose to leave and sleep on the streets instead. I shared half an hour with him trying to gauge the words I should use to tell him about the risen Savior. When I asked him if he knew who Christ was he promptly answered, "he is the Son of God and is God."

God's truth rests with the lowly and simple. Lord willing this won't be the last time I spend time with him. He told me if I came back he'd treat me to a meal. It started to rain again by this time, but before I left I asked if we can be friends - and he happily agreed.

As I write this I am struggling to imagine looking at life from his point of view. How it is to have no family, no friends, no foreseeable future, and no Christ. I cannot imagine putting my children through this. And that is probably where the root of apathy lies. We see our children only as precious because we have a filial attachment to our own, and we see other people as trivial because we have nothing in common with them. Perhaps if I try look at people as souls, at how God sees them, they will start to become precious to me too, and would cease to be just another number to tick off in my list of people I need to proclaim the gospel to, but would actually care to share the gospel with. I would actually pray for the conversion of souls as I ought. That God would be glorified in them.