“I’m praying for you.”
These can be very comforting words when we are facing a situation that brings grief or pain into our lives. When these words are offered by a genuine Christian friend, there is solace and encouragement in knowing that they are spending time in prayer for us.
Prayer is a wonderful thing. As believers, we are permitted to commune with God, through His Son, Jesus. Hebrews 4:16 tells us this: “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (NKJV).
When the believer faces a trial, we have the eternal promise of God that His grace is available, no matter what our need may be. I have claimed this verse over and over in my life and it is much more meaningful to me today, after facing truly tough times in my life.
However, there are many people in our world who do not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus. We cannot say to them “I am praying for you” and have it mean the same thing it does to a fellow believer. To those who do not know the Lord, our prayer might be seen as simply a cliché.
You see, when we know people are truly hurting or facing some sort of challenging circumstance, simply offering a prayer just might not be enough.
That was the recent situation in Missouri.
Gleaning For The World, our sister ministry where I serve as chairman of the board, began receiving calls from Missouri after the state was hit by devastating floods last month.
We began praying right away. But we also began phoning other organizations and local pastors we know, finding that they needed basic necessities for people, many of whom were displaced from their homes. And they needed help fast!
Ron Davidson, the founder and COO for the Concord, Va.-based ministry, says that within hours, three tractor trailers had been sent to the region so that people there could have urgently-needed supplies.
We sent in 7,000 blankets, 30,000 bottles of water, loads of stuffed animals for the children and containers that families can use to collect legal papers and other valuables from their damaged homes.
We do this type of ministry because we believe God calls us to be His representatives to people in need. We desire to help people as much as possible and we pray that, through these efforts, we will be able to communicate the Gospel with many of them.
Bottom Line: We serve because God loves people … and we love them too!
By supporting this ministry, you are helping us touch the lives of many hurting people. You are helping us meet their physical needs and their spiritual needs.
Our mission is two-fold: (1) to represent Christ to people whose lives are in turmoil and (2) to represent those who entrust us with their prayers and support to be ambassadors for Christ through this multifaceted ministry. We are always mindful that we must please the Lord in our efforts and show our ministry partners that we take this work very seriously.
From our church planting focus … to our pastoral training programs … to our international missions operations … to our broadcast ministry … to our ministry to unwed mothers and their babies … to our outreach to drug-addicted and alcoholic men … we are representing Christ with hearts of love for people.
This world is often interested in judging people and relegating them to the back lots of society. That is not who we are. We are all about helping people and showing them that the Lord Jesus Christ loves them no matter who they are or what they have done. Our desire is to see troubled lives transformed, for His glory.
I thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your prayers and support of this ministry. Your friendship and partnership in ministry keeps us going and allows us to reach more and more people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We often do not know where the needed funds will come from as we continue with all our ministries. But we go on, trusting God through it all. And we have seen God supply through the gifts of our friends so many times! I stand amazed at how you have partnered with us because you love people, just as we do.
Your friend in Christ,
Jonathan Falwell