Dear
Fellow Children of God,
Every once in a while a
Christian is surprised by an unexpected act of grace and faith in on our behalf. This happened to me on Tuesday, August 8, in
of all places the parking lot at the Palmer 3 Bears. I was leaving the store with a small bag of
groceries when I saw Stan Guthrie, the owner Stan’s Country Cutts where I have
gone for the last few years in order for them to cut the little hair left on my
head. Stan is an active Christian in our
community, whom I consider a friend.
As we saw each other Stan reached
out to shake my hand. I stopped
him. I have been ill with some form of
stomach flu for 5 days and I did not want to pass the disease on by shaking Stan’s
hand. I explained my symptoms and he
shared a similar affliction he suffered earlier this year. As we conversed, Stan offered, “I’ll pray for
you. I’ll put you on my prayer chain.” I believe him.
I have shared previously in my
devotional writings that I keep an active prayer list. My list changes as people I know and care about
have joys and trials in their lives. I
believe the Lord hears each prayer. I
further believe the Lord answers all prayers in wisdom and in love. I often contact those for whom I’m praying to
see how they are doing, to see how God is responding to our prayers. In addition, I know that people pray for
me. But, sometimes the gift of the
prayers of others is a pleasant surprise.
Just imagine how God answers!
Our greatest gift in this world is
God’s gracious love and mercy given in the life and death and resurrection of
His Son, Jesus. But God also gives love,
encouragement, and help for our lives and for our faith through fellow believers. One of those great helps is found in the
prayers of other Christians. Consider,
please, the words of God through St. Paul as God prepares us for the spiritual
battles of life. “12 For our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the
powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the
heavenly realms. 13
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you
may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
. . .17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God. 18 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.” (Ephesians 10:12-13, 17-18)
Life has always been a journey
of trials and suffering. There are
spiritual battles as well as the struggles of life. And, in recent years, our world has been
turning more and more away from our Lord, and away from His guidance for
life. We need help! Jesus has defeated the devil. God helps us in this life. He gives other Christians to walk beside us,
and to pray for us.
Who are you praying for? Who is praying for you?
A Child of God, Blessed
by the Prayers of Other Christians,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Last week I shared that I received a phone
call from the Florida-Georgia District President (my brother, James) on Monday,
July 24, asking me to consider serving as vacancy pastor at First Lutheran
Church in Gainesville, FL, until they get their next permanent pastor. This is the congregation where I grew up.
I gave
prayerful consideration to the request to serve as their vacancy pastor. I actually tried to find reasons to say no.
But, Kathy and I saw the offer as an answer to previous prayers. And, for every
objection we had, the Lord seemed to have an answer. Therefore, we said “Yes” to the opportunity
to serve First Lutheran Church on a six month renewable contract, beginning in
September.
The tough part
is the people and opportunities to serve we leave behind. But again, seeking to
following the leading of God, we said “Yes” to Gainesville.
P.P.S. I only went fishing once in the past
week. While Gerry Zellar and I did not
have any bites, we did see some “tracks” on the beach downstream from the landing
on the Little Susitna. Here are some
pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/eXWfwDvtiuSB9fdR7
P.P.P.S. Our garden is in full
production. Here are a few pictures
·
I picked the end of the strawberries and beginning
of our raspberries recently. https://photos.app.goo.gl/baZfrCWk3YZHnsc17
·
I picked cabbage and broccoli on August 7. https://photos.app.goo.gl/NkHZW7mhCfJE3N9k8
*******
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired
at the end of August 2019 from serving as senior full-time pastor of St. John Lutheran Church
in Palmer, AK. I was writing a weekly
devotion previously entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor." When I retired many asked me to continue
writing these devotions. So I have
continued writing. However, with life's
changes I now call this weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child
of God." Since I am no longer
senior pastor at St. John, I felt it right to only send this message to those
who asked to receive it.
So, if you stopped receiving these
devotions and wondered why, now you understand.
And, if you are now receiving these devotions and do not wish to receive
them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove your name from my distribution
list. My e-mail address is
jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer is that these devotions help
each of you in your daily walk with our Lord, Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Pastor Emeritus, St. John
Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the Father has lavished
on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1
John 3:1 a)
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