Faith. Perhaps the most powerful word to be found in the Bible. When it comes to Christians, what it all comes down to, in the end, is Faith. Perhaps the greatest statements of Faith come from the 11th Chapter of Hebrews. Throughout the entire chapter are examples of the kind of faith that God’s children had for Him; the belief that they had that God would not let them down — and He didn’t. Read the entire chapter — you won’t be sorry if you take the time to do so — but for today, I’m going to share three verses with you. Here is Hebrews 11:1-3:
1Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2This is what the ancients were commended for. 3By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
In my mind, the verse that catches my eye most is verse 2 — “This is what the ancients were commended for.” It is unfortunate, isn’t it, that the world has fallen as hard as it has, and so many people go through life without that faith that the ancients had. Faith, like Abraham had with his son Isaac, knowing that God would spare him and not sacrifice him. That kind of faith is almost non-existent today. It is time for us all to find a stronger measure of our faith. If you have some faith, that is good, work on making it stronger. If you have a lot of faith, take it to the next step. If you have no faith — tell us, and we’ll share with you all the ways that God will help you find your faith. Now, let’s take our faith and pray over these requests.
Prayer Requests
- You may remember this prayer request from my friend Carol last week: My friend Carol passed along this prayer request for her friend Cindy. Please read it and pray for them:My mom just called crying to say that my sister, Melissa, was diagnosed today with melanoma of the eye. They will be testing her to see if it has spread to her liver. I feel numb with disbelief. She will have a few radiation treatments as well as needing the eye removed. PLEASE everyone PRAY for her and ask everyone you know to pray for her. I and our family would appreciate it so very much. Cindy
- I have an update from Carol, and it’s good news! Here is what she wrote: God’s Grace is sufficient – and your prayers are appreciated.Cindy reported to me last night that Melissa found out yesterday that the melanoma has not spread and they will only have to remove the tumor and not the eye!!!!! She will still need radiation treatment. We do not know how her sight will be affected – but our prayers have been answered. Cindy asked me to thank all of you for your loving prayers.
In Christ,
Carol - Please continue the prayers for Uncle Ted and Uncle Bob. Uncle Bob has Stage 4 Lung Cancer, and a partially deflated lung. Uncle Ted went for a second opinion. In neither case do we have an additional update, and both are very serious. Your prayers mean the world to us — and we work on the Faith that we know that God will take care of his servants Ted and Bob in the way that is best for them and best for His Glory and Will.
- Please also pray for Cindy’s family as her cousins Kathy, Earline, and Sandra lost their Aunt Joyce this week. We all know that she is in a better place, but death is always hardest on the living, so please lift them up in your prayers and pray for God to send His Peace, Comfort, and Strength to them in their time of need. Please also pray for Mr. Jack, Joyce’s husband, and their children Mike, Tammy and their families.
- Please continue to pray for Sheila — she hasn’t heard back from her job interview, but she has Faith and should hear back from them in a couple of days.
- Please pray for my friend Melissa — her dog Liam is really sick — not eating, having other difficulties, and the vet is having trouble figuring it out. Please pray for Liam, and for Melissa, because any of you with dogs or other pets in your lives know that when your pet is sick it is like your child is sick. Please pray for healing and for comfort and Peace for Melissa. Thanks!
- Please also pray for Cindy’s co-worker Dee and her Mom, who has some health issues that she is dealing with. Please pray for their healing and comfort and strength as needed, thanks!
- Please, please, please pray for the prayer requests that we don’t know about. Pray that God would lift up everyone that is hurting, and pray that they would turn to Him so that they may be helped by Him!
While there are a lot of prayer requests, there are also some incredible praises to lift up to God and thank Him for, so please read along!
Praises!
- The single biggest praise I have this week is that my niece Stephanie is re-united with her husband Shane! Shane was at basic training and AIT, and they have been apart for 5 months! However, that is now over, and they are back together! It was so great talking with them on Thursday night, and I am so proud of both of them. Shane recently celebrated a birthday, and I know that being back home with his wife and their dog Zazzy is all the present he needs!
- I also want to give praise to all the other graduates from the latest class of military training! My friend Jessi saw her husband graduate, so congratulations to them and their son also, and thank you to all of you that serve our country!
- Praises also go out to the Men’s Study bible study, which is now in full swing. Please pray for our study to continue as strong as it has started, we have a great group of men this year!
- Lastly, please give thanks for our great buddy Regan, who has really settled in nicely in his forever home. We love having him in our lives, and he loves being a part of our family too! Special praises continue to go out to our friends Bettie and Hannah and their family for fostering him before we adopted him. They are really sweet people and we are truly grateful for the loving care that they gave him. Here’s a picture of Sophie and Regan from yesterday in the car. Thanks everyone!
My friends, I hope that this week finds you well, and that you are able to pray and lift up these requests and praises. Thank you for helping to bring good to the evil that the Internet is full of — it’s my honor to write these up each week, and if all works out, starting next week perhaps we’ll have a partner site that will also start lifting up their prayer requests and we’ll share our link with them and they’ll share their link with us. The more of us that pray, the better we will be. God Bless each and every one of you, and in closing, remember this verse from Philippians chapter 4, verse 13:
13I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
May God strengthen you this week, and remind you of the Faith that is stored within you, just waiting to be shown the light again. Amen.
Praying for all these request! Praising our Lord for all the praises! If I could as a prayer for my cousin she might have torn her meniscus and she can’t walk…She has less than 4 weeks till she is supposed to get married. Thanks!
Thank you Chelsea! We’ll pray for your cousin’s health, I’m sure she will be well in time for the wedding. In the meantime, may she have God’s Peace, comfort, and strength, and may she turn to Him to ease the stresses that sometimes come up with last minute wedding plans. Lastly, Praise God for your cousin and her husband to be as they begin this new journey together. May they always look to the Lord for guidance on their path, and may they have many years of wedded bliss ahead. Thanks for praying for our prayer requests, Chelsea, and for giving praise as well! Amen!
Please pray for my friend Kourtney. Here is what she wrote on Facebook:
I never ask for thoughts and prayers, but we need them today! Please send my family as many as you can.
Lord, please be with Kourtney and her family today as they battle the demons they face today. Please grant them Your Peace and comfort and strength in the days ahead. It is in the name of Your Son Jesus that we pray with thanksgiving. Amen.
Please pray for my friend Frances as well. Here is what she posted on Facebook:
I cautiously opened a can of whoop a$$ on the facility that my Aunt is in. Please pray for her and my family as we gather the resources that we need to get her home within the next month.
Lord, please be with your servant Frances and she and her family work towards getting her Aunt out of the facility that she is in. Please take care of them all so that her Aunt can be in a more loving environment, and so that she can face her remaining years surrounded with the love that You and her family provide. It is in the name of Your Son Jesus that we pray with thanksgiving. Amen.
A powerful word on the faith that my friend Becca and her family have. Here is what she wrote on Facebook earlier:
Today I am grateful for my testimony of our Heavenly Father’s plan for us. While death may be the end of our time together on this earth, we can be with our families forever. Mike’s family could use prayers for comfort and peace at this time. His uncle is expected to return to our Father in the next few days. We know we will see him again, but this us still a very hard time for his family.
UPDATE: We learned that Walter, the uncle referenced by Becca, passed away shortly after her statement. Please surround Becca’s family with love and prayers, please pray for God’s Peace, Comfort, and Strength to descend on them in their days of grief. The comfort that they take in knowing that Walter is now with Jesus is wonderful, but the grief and sadness they feel without him there is still hard on them. Thank you everyone for your prayers for Becca and her family.
Mike you are amazing and I really appreciate the prayers for my cousin! She has her MRI yesterday and should get the results over the next few days..
I’m praying for Kourtney, Frances, and Becca is one of my friends as well I will be continuing my prayers for her family. God Bless them and You!
Thanks, Chelsea! We’ll keep praying for your cousin, and I appreciate all of the prayers for everyone else also!
Please pray for my friend Jennifer and her family as they deal with the loss of their Granny. Here is what Jennifer wrote — it’s beautiful in the memories that she invokes and you feel as if you were right there with Jennifer as you read her memories:
We lost my sweet Granny last night, and the world lost one of the strongest, most beautiful people.
One of my first memories is of laying my head in her lap while she ran one hand through my hair and I rubbed her other hand; I was always amazed at how soft her skin was, and she was amazed I thought so after she had worked every minute of every day for her entire life with those hands.
She fed me the best food, took care of me (especially in those first three years before my Dad came into the picture), slept next to me on the pull-out sofa for slumber parties, taught me how to sew a button and make jello, and joked with me about our funny Southern accents (I LOVED that she said “flyers” for “flowers” and tried to work that into my own speech).
She raised four children in a tiny house, one with special needs who was with her until he passed away not long ago. Without Uncle Terry and Pappaw around, her soul has been restless. I pray that she is with them now, peacefully cooking some delicious cornbread and planting some “flyers” in the garden.
I love you, Granny.
Jennifer, may God grant you His Peace, Comfort, and Strength to you and your family so that you may feel His love surround you all in your time of need. He is there for you, and you know this, so take a moment when you need and tell Him what you need.
In His Service,
Mike
If I could have all Disney Fans Please send Prayers to me and my Family Our Gas was cut and we are trying our hardest to try and get it restored but it looks like it might take a few weeks to come up with the amount owed .So we untill then will be without hot water . Thanks Blessings to all .
Colleen, of course you have the prayers of your fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ — wherever they are, and regardless of whether they are Disney fans or not (although, how could they not be). I pray that relief will come your way soon, especially with the temperatures beginning to drop as we enter into Autumn. Keep in mind, please, that there are often services available to help with utility issues, so if you can, reach out to them.
In the meantime, I pray that you are able to make other arrangements and get the help you need. May God look down upon you, and may He lift you up in your time of need. Amen.
Please continue the prayers for Uncle Bob…we got some very distressing news today, and we are worried about how much more time we might have with him. Please pray for Cindy, all of her family, for his wife Clara, for Bob himself, for his kids, and everyone else that knows and loves him. He is a wonderful man, and I have been blessed to have gotten to know him. I have so many fond memories, he won’t ever be gone from our hearts, but his presence will definitely be missed.
Thank you for your prayers for healing, and for your prayers for comfort, strength, and peace for all of the family.
In His Service,
Mike
I do have a big praise today to share with you! Today (Saturday, September 28), a big group of family and friends came out to celebrate the 60th Wedding Anniversary of Ervin and Lois Millwood, the wonderful parents of my Sister-in-Christ Monica. Mr. & Mrs. Millwood are salt of the earth people, people that would absolutely give you the shirt off their back, people that don’t lecture, they teach, people that, no matter what, you know you will always get a warm smile, a hug, and a handshake. Ervin and Lois remind me in so many ways of MY Grandpa and Grandma — and I can think of no higher praise than that — except for this. Lois and Ervin Millwood are Christians, they are saved, they KNOW Jesus — and Jesus knows them.
It was a wonderful day celebrating their life together, one that we look forward to seeing day and day again for many more years to come.
A second praise I have today — Cindy’s Uncle Ted has started his treatment for his cancer, and is doing well with it. I’m somewhat afraid, I’ll admit, about what turn his health may take when he hears about his brother Bob, but our prayers continue to go out to him to make sure the Lord hears us and lifts up Uncle Ted, Aunt Connie, and all of the rest of their family and friends at this time. Thank you for praying for him, please keep them coming!
Also praise goes out to our friends Jennifer, her husband Grant, and their kids for coming up to our church to start attending services with us!
Praying for all the above prayers! If I could add a dear friend to your list she has been struggling with many different illnesses ranging from Pneumonia,Calciphylaxis…She’s been in and out of the hospital since last may…We have been praying God works miracles in her life but she was just put back in the hospital Saturday night with pneumonia,infected tissue where she had surgery, heart arrhythmia,and a UTI… She means the world to me.. Thanks!
You’ve got it, Chelsea! I’ll add this request to this week’s post so it will be seen by others. May your friend find the peace, comfort, strength, and healing she needs — and may she find Jesus in her life, if she doesn’t know Him yet.