half empty; her tires crunched ice as she pulled into a space near the entrance. Eileen waved from the front door and then ducked inside, keeping warm until Mary Lou joined her.
Mary Lou quickly closed the door behind her. “Man, it is cold out there.”
Eileen turned toward the sanctuary. “The wind makes it worse.”
Mary Lou wrinkled her nose and closed her eyes, “I see fluffy white flakes floating to the ground outside my window, while basking in the warmth of a fire in the fireplace.”
Eileen nudged her and put her finger to her lips. “Shush. The service is about to start. I’m so glad you came. Did you forget your Bible?”
Mary Lou accepted a bulletin from the man in the foyer. “Oh, no, I left it in the car,” she lied. “There’s no way I’m going back outside.”
She followed Eileen to the fifth row of pews from the front, where they always used to sit. They took their seats as the praise team started playing “What a Mighty God We Serve.” The words on the screen in front of them made it impossible not to join in singing.
Half an hour of praise songs passed, and then Pastor Don Elliott came forward with his message for the week. The tall, thin man stood in front of the group, adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses, and opened his Bible.
He surveyed his congregation and spoke. “The message today is titled ‘The Power of Prayer.’ Prayer is the greater part of worship. When we pray, we acknowledge our thoughts and desires to the King of the universe. This is good, and this is what our Lord wants us to do. Let me reference the Scriptures; turn in your Bibles to Philippians chapter 4, verse 6.” He paused a few seconds, then read, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Let me explain this verse to you. It is not a plea. It is a statement, a command. You don’t see any question marks there, do you?”
Eileen shared her Bible with Mary Lou.
Pastor Elliott continued, “Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have against the enemy. And, as you know, the enemy comes in all forms. He is so tricky, he can be in the midst of us in an instant, plant deception, and disappear before we’re aware of him. He can camp out on our front mind and cause immediate and lasting depression. With prayer, we can throw it off. Because it is the power of God that heals and protects us.
“It’s also the evil one who is responsible for sickness. Again, prayer is the most powerful weapon you can use to fight illness. Jesus Christ is the Great Physician. Yes, it’s all right to pray for God to help your doctor. And the doctor can diagnose and operate. You can have a successful operation, but the doctor can’t heal. Healing comes from God.”
Mary Lou nudged Eileen and whispered, “Is that true?”
Eileen wrote on her bulletin and pushed the note over so Mary Lou could read, God made our bodies so that they heal. When someone has stitches, they heal because of what God does, not what the doctor does. Only God heals.
Mary Lou took Eileen’s pen out of her hand and wrote, That must be why people heal at different rates; everybody is different.
Pastor Elliott moved on. “We should always pray for the men and women in our military. They’ve agreed to defend our country at whatever cost it takes. Once again, we can thank the enemy that we have such a thing as war. It is our duty as children of God to appeal to our Heavenly Father to protect our servicemen and women. And always pray for those in authority over us.” He looked down at the children in the front row. “For you, it means to pray for your parents.”
He turned a page of his notes. “And when we think of persons in unfamiliar and distant places, we must not forget our missionaries. Always be praying for those holding up the Word throughout the world. These men and woman have sacrificed their lives for the hope of the world. They get little help and nearly no recognition, and yet their battle is to further the Kingdom. Pray for the persecuted Church—these are the missionaries that are under constant threat of their livelihood and, in fact, even their lives.”
Then he looked back at the rest of the congregation. “We don’t always agree with those in authority over us, but we are called to pray for them and to submit to them. Look here at Romans chapter 13:1-3, where it says, ‘Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.’”
Other than Joe, Walt’s the only person I can think of right now that is in authority over me. I must admit that I am afraid of Walt. Joe would never fire me, but I’m afraid Walt will fire me, and I’ll lose the best-paying job I’ve ever had. Trouble is, he changes the rules all the time. I can hardly keep up. And he’s just an angry man. He’s mean and ugly to everyone. He’s the most ungodly man I know. It seems wrong to say Your name and his in the same sentence.
She focused back to Pastor Elliott, who was saying to turn to the book of Second Timothy, chapter 2:1-6. “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people—for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.”
Pastor Elliott looked up from reading. “Sometimes our candidate doesn’t get elected, or we end up working for someone we don’t agree with, but we should always pray for the person in authority who is making decisions for us and for our nation.
“Prayer is never limited to our immediate problems. Our God is much bigger than that. Oh, He can and will answer each and every need we pray about, but He wants us to be involved in more than just those around us. Pray for your enemies, those who offend you and degrade you.”
Mary Lou frowned.
“We are commanded to love our enemies, and how better can we show our love for them than to pray for their salvation and deliverance?”
She felt her back stiffen. Like I could pray for Walt Pederson. He deserves something, but it’s not my prayers. I refuse to pray for him. He’s beyond lost.
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