Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In prayer meeting, we are taking time in the month of March to pray for things that are new. For example, on Wednesday, we prayed for those who have new fears. One of the new fears that I have, for example, is yet another war in the Middle East. War doesn’t bring life. It takes life in the hopes of providing a better life for some. But there are no winners in war.
Already in Iran, thousands have been killed through missile strikes by the US and by Israel. To be sure, these thousands pale in comparison to the tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of Iranians killed by the regime in Iran. As far as I know, 6 US service members have been killed in retaliatory strikes. The blood of US soldiers made in the image of God is not more valuable than the blood of Iranian citizens also made in the image of God. I grieve the loss of both groups. But the thing that causes me fear is that I know people who are stationed in the Middle East as part of the military. Previously, war seemed far away. Now, it threatens people I know.
I am working on taking my fear and bringing it to the Lord so that fears don’t overwhelm my soul. Rather, I am able to be confident in the Lord, that He is in control and will do what is right. This is true now in the war in Iran and it would be true if tragedy struck closer to home. Our circumstances do not change God’s character. But our circumstances tempt us to forget God’s character.
May God grant you grace to find peace for the fears that assail you. This peace comes from trusting the Lord God who alone is in control and is working all things for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.
Please continue to pray for the nations of Iran and Israel/Gaza and Ukraine/Russia and Sudan. Here is a suggested list of prayers if you are at a loss for words in how to pray: https://send.org/story/hh_pray_for_ukraine. And https://worldrelief.org/blog-prayer-for-israel-and-gaza/ And here are other prayers for peace in general: https://worldrelief.org/prayers-for-peace-in-the-world/ Thank you for kneeling on behalf of the people of Ukraine and Russia, Israel and Gaza and Lebanon, and Sudan, and Iran and taking a stand (or a knee in prayer) against the forces of darkness in this present age.
Further announcements can be found in the weekly spotlight. And other church wide announcements can be found in our weekly bulletin.
For Prayer:
1. From Bishop J.C. Ryle – “To be prayerless is to be Christless, Godless, and in the high road to destruction…It will always be found that when prayers are few, grace, strength, peace, and hope are small.” Please join our Wednesday night prayer meeting (7:45 – 9:00 pm) even if you can’t participate the whole time.
https://zoom.us/j/758587937?pwd=aS9sZUdxcm1janNNM2I2aXJ6Smx2QT09
Meeting ID: 758 587 937
Password: 030086
Join by phone: +1 929 436 2866 US (New York)
2. We’d be glad to pray for you. If you need prayer, you can submit your prayer request via the following link: https://www.cbcgl.org/pray/
In Christ, your servant, SDG,
Pastor Nathan Willems
Associate Pastor of CrossPoint Community – A Ministry of CBCGL