Always keep on praying for all the saints

Have you ever felt an overwhelming burden to pray for someone? Perhaps even a sense that a spiritual battle is ensuing? It happened during the morning service @north.

The singing and music was great...and then suddenly a crushing burden to pray for Daniel Shayestah our speaker (see article about Daniel).I could not follow much of the service for that period of time as I earnestly prayed for him against spiritual enemies and attacks that might seek to discourage or oppress him as he spoke. I called on God to cover us and him in particular with his strength and grace.

Then Daniel was announced by the chairman, Simon Parsons, to take the lectern. Daniel stood up and walked towards it, then turned and walked towards me instead (I was at the other end of the hall to where Daniel was sitting). He came close to me and said: 'I need you to pray for me.'Without hesitation, I walked with him to the lectern to lead the congregation in prayer, for God's Spirit to take darkness from our hearts and mind.

Daniel spoke with passion, rare in speakers and with fire in his heart as he instructed us with a treasure of information on Islam. He gave us boldness to share the gospel and inspired us with his love for the Lord.

Towards the end of the talk, he spoke about a dream God had given him (prior to his conversion): his house was on fire, and Jesus called to him to leave that house....and to run to a house built upon the Rock. As he did, his burning house collapsed. But his new house built on the rock was secure.

The following Sunday, when he turned up at church; the speaker challenged the congregation with these words: 'Come out of your house and build your new house on the rock of Jesus'....

After Daniel finished, we sang our closing song:

My Hope is built on nothing less, than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand. All other ground is sinking sand.

Daniel and I chatted immediately after the service. He said: 'Praise God for that song. It has captured perfectly what I had said in my testimony about how Jesus rescued me".

Daniel had no idea I had pick that song as the song of response. And for that matter, I did not have any idea what he was going to say about a house on the Rock. God was in sovereign and providential control over all things.At the end, I had a sense that an unseen battle was fought. But God never lost control. He was always going to be triumphant down to the last song (picked 3 weeks before).'

A lesson to us all: always pray for the preacher; take seriously the call to uphold him weekly before the Lord....there's more going on than meets the eyes

'".....and pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints....pray for me that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador ..." (Ephesians 6:18-20a)

~ CS TANG~