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Eternity 19 - Prayers That Work - Praying For Protection
(Romans 15:30-32 NKJV) Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus
Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with
me in prayers to God for me, {31} that I may be delivered from those in
Judea who do not believe, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable
to the saints, {32} that I may come to you with joy by the will of God,
and may be refreshed together with you.
As we saw two days ago, Paul's plan was to reach Rome after visiting Jerusalem
with its attendant risks. Paul must have had a clear sense of the dangers.
On the way to Jerusalem he is told by the prophet Agabus that chains await
him, in Ephesus Paul tells the elders that they will "see his face
no more".
Surviving the risky visit to Jerusalem was so important that Paul writes to the Romans using the strongest possible language "Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers..". .
Indeed the Jews tried to kill him and a storm nearly drowned him. However
Paul did survive and Paul did get to Rome, so we can presume that the Romans
prayed and that their prayers for protection were indeed answered.
Today many missionaries and pastors, particularly in Muslim lands are asking
people to pray that they may be "delivered from those... who do not
believe". Scripture calls Satan " a murderer from the beginning"
(John 8:44) who aims to "steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10)
and who often tries to kill the most strategic servants of God.
They face dangers from militants, from robbers, from corrupt officials,
from disease, from unsafe transportation and even from wild animals. They
go out with the gospel in Christ's name and we should honor them and bless
them and above all pray for them.
The stories are innumerable about how prayer warriors have been awakened
to pray for someone and later found out that exact time was when the missionary
was facing a crisis or going through a time of danger. Prayer protects.
Paul knew this, which is why he wanted strenuous striving prayer from the
Roman church - which he had never met.
Do you know someone with a dangerous underground ministry, or who is in
an inner-city church facing thugs and drug-pushers, or who travels across
rough and difficult terrain? Pray for them. Put them on your daily prayer
list. Keep them covered in prayer and phone them now and then to get prayer
points. Your prayers could save their life and lengthen their ministry.
This is the last in the series "Prayers That Work' (for a while). Tomorrow
we shall begin a new series "Connecting With Jesus".
Blessings,
John Edmiston
Visit the Asian Internet Bible Institute
