Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
When life is busy we still need to dedicate time for things that honor and glorify our Heavenly Father, even if we don’t feel like it. Can God use us if we just sit on the sidelines and don’t engage? If we push through the tiredness, distractions, and pain to do the right thing, often we are so glad we did. (I’m doing my best to motivate myself after two very long, hard days with a new business startup.)
We drew encouragement from Psalm 16 to kick off the prayer time at each service last night:
Keep me safe, O God,
for I have come to you for refuge.
I said to the Lord, “You are my Master!
Every good thing I have comes from you.”
The godly people in the land
are my true heroes!
I take pleasure in them!
Those who chase after other gods will be filled with sorrow.
I will not take part in their sacrifices
or even speak the names of their gods.
Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing.
You guard all that is mine.
The land you have given me is a pleasant land.
What a wonderful inheritance!
I will bless the Lord who guides me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. (Psalm 16:1-8)
In 1st service, Erwin asked why do we pray “in Jesus’ name'”? Is it just the way to end Christian prayers, or is it much more than that? He took us through several passages in John 14, 15, and 16 where Jesus instructed us to ask in His name. But we are to pray with right motives, and with a heart longing after God’s heart. He is our high priest and intercessor, and His death on the cross tore the curtain in the temple in two, giving us direct access to the Father through Him. He said no one comes to the Father but by me, that includes prayer.
Marty had the men in 2nd service thinking about how things aren’t always as they appear. News shows can leave out significant facts, our fast food meal looks nothing like the menu picture, and many politicians will say anything to get elected. That may be how Nicodemus felt when Jesus was explaining how we must be “born again” in John 3. Of special importance for every Christian is Matthew 7:13 where few will find the narrow gate. And even more chilling is the scariest verse in the Bible – Matthew 7:21 where some will hear Jesus say “away from me, I never knew you”. A sobering reminder that we need to be sure of our motives.
Our motives are to follow Christ’s command to remember those in prison and love one another by going into the prison each week to worship alongside our incarcerated brothers. I trust the motives of everyone receiving this email are to love these men by lifting them and their prayer requests before the throne of grace. Thanks as always for doing what you do in this prison ministry. God bless you!
Grace and Peace,
Rick
Prayer Requests from Medium Security (7:00pm service):
- Drake– thankful for God’s guidance, and for everything to go well with my interview for baptism on the 27th.
- Kyle– my daughter is having a tough time with my situation, and has talked about hurting herself.
- Andy L– my neighborhood is literally going to the dogs, may God strengthen my wife and I to be the Christian influence and shine the light of Christ in our neighborhood.
- Mike– for the PA judicial system to do its work – I’ve had 2 hearings canceled, should be 3 strikes you’re out.
- Hebrim– to get out on the 30th.
- Brent– for my friend’s daughter Natalie (16), for Dan’s cancer recovery, and for all the volunteers. Also for God to shine light on my case in this corrupt legal system.
- David– for my wife and parents and kids.
- Vincent– for my girlfriend to be doing OK – she is locked up going through withdrawal.
- Phil T– Thankful for a great turnout at my church’s Alpha program, and seeing people growing in the Lord.
- Dan T– for my brother-in-law to finally accept Christ.
- Rick C– For safety and traveling mercies for my friend Frank driving his new motorcycle back from Florida by himself.
- Eric– pray for financial increase and a girlfriend. A special request prayer to the Lord of Hosts to get me out of this vinimeum, and a sp4ecial prayer to the Lord of Hosts to get me out of this tabernacle room.
- [Note: I spoke with Eric after the service to say that I don’t pray words I’m not familiar with, and there are no “magic words” for God – he simply wants to hear from our heart. Nevertheless, he was insistent that I include his prayer requests “as is” and I promised I would.]
Prayer Requests from Minimum Security (8:30pm service)
- Craig– thankful for all the volunteers that come out, pray for my wife Kay, my 2 juvenile daughters and all my kids. I need the strength of the Lord to carry on, I’m half way through my incarceration. And prayers for the whole wide world.
- David– for my great niece (3) who’s had 2 heart surgeries and is in the hospital with pneumonia, and be with her mom. Also my girl gets her biopsy results Wed, pray they are clear.
- Andy D– friend at church who died just before 1st anniversary – pray for wife Sarah and the 3 brothers they were in the process of adopting.
- Martin– salvation, family, Lord show us our future and the journey ahead.
- Harry– those fighting addiction, and all of us in here tonight.
- Rick C– for my friend Herb slowly recovering from a coma after brain bleed/damage.
Prayers from Onesimus Prison Ministries
- For the new leadership and all the staff of Chester County Prison as new security measures are implemented and change the way some things are done.
- For the prison Chaplains – Pastor Jack (continued healing from cancer), Rhonda ministering to the ladies, and Heinrich ministering to the men.
- For the eventual expansion of the chapel schedule to accommodate more volunteers who are ready to minister to inmates.
- For peace and compassion among the prison population and between staff and inmates.
- For all the Aftercare ministries across Chester County helping the men and women released from prison get a better start on a new life.
If you’d like to find out more about mentoring and discipling a man or woman coming out of prison, drop us a note at outreach@onesimusministries.org.
These weekly prayer requests are also posted on our website – https://onesimusministries.org/category/weekly-prayer-requests/
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