Friday, May 21

The Most Precious Gift

As most of you know, I'm currently acting as Matt's so-called "secretary" whilst he's doing missions work in Zambia. Well, today he received this e-mail from a guy in the Phillipines (last year Matt began a self-supporting business for a local pastor over there). Written in broken English, it was one of the most encouraging notes I've read sent to Matt yet.

I don't think it was because it was any different to other encouraging notes people have sent him, as condensed into a sentence it mostly just said, "I wanted to let you know that I know of your ministry. I'm praying for you." It was the most encouraging because not only would that short note have taken him alot of effort to write, but because I saw the everyday words of encouragement in a different way. I saw them in broken English.

I think it's very easy to see words of encouragment and read them as you would a cliche. The line, "I'll be praying for you" is a regular coming out of our mouths and also a common phrase that we hear.

Being so close to a mission situation and regularly sharing to people about it, I hear the phrase "Well, I'll definitely be parying for him." alot. The part that saddens me is that I know that person doesn't really mean it. Sure they might send off a quick thought to God about it a couple of times in the next week, but seriously how many of us who say that one phrase really take the time out to sit down and truly pray for that person every day for a whole month? I, myself, would have to join the large majority who admitted, "I don't." And I'm utterly ashamed.

Because Matt isn't able to read or reply to his e-mail very often, I sent a short reply back to that man telling him I'd added him to the mail-out list. At the bottom I thanked him for keeping Matt in his prayers; then as I suddenly realised what I just wrote above, I added, "It's the most precious gift you could give him."

To Matt, I know it is. At the beginning of this year, when we were frantically trying to raise support for him, I remember him telling me over and over again, "You know what, Lyd, I realise now that it's the people who promise to pray that are the most important. I don't care if God doesn't provide all of the money right now, as long as there's heaps of people praying, then I know that things will go where God wants them to."

And things truly have been going only where God could have led them. All the jaw-dropping stories of how God provided all the necessary funds, and all the stories of what's been happening over in Zambia would fill a book.

Prayer breaks up mountains, it stops the sun, it humbles kings, it gives hope, "it availiths much", and yet it costs nothing to give. All you have to do is send a note to God, and you've given someone the most precious gift of all--you've placed them into God's hands. The very hands of Love.

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