My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Welcome to the “vacation edition” of the weekly prayer request email, as I’m at the beach in Ocean City, MD, with my family this week. In my stead we had very capable volunteers covering prayers last night at the prison – Phil in first service and Matt in second service. I thank my brothers for handling the prayer time and sending along prayer requests so I can provide them to you below.
Phil encouraged the men from a book on prayer he’s reading – pray for big things and never give up, always keep going because no matter what happens, the storm eventually ends and you want to make sure you’re ready when that happens. In similar fashion, Matt began his prayer time with the “911 prayer” (Psalm 91) which describes the confidence that believers have through all manner of dangers and challenges.
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”(Psalm 91)
Jim gave a stark reminder to the men in first service that time may be short before Jesus returns – all the major prophesies leading to His coming back have been fulfilled. It could happen on the way back to their cells tonight. The key point is to be ready, as illustrated through many Bible passages. The Great Tribulation and Judgement Day are not things you want to mess around with, we should all decide now where we want to be for eternity, and do something about it. If that means giving your heart to Christ, what are you waiting for?
In second service, Ryan preached on Psalm 142, written by David on the run from Saul trying to kill him. In the cave of Adullum, David had all other earthly refuges stripped from him with nowhere else to turn for comfort except to his God. In the Psalm David feels free to be honest with God about his complaints, worries, and fears. Our God listens to our honest cries, exemplified by the life of Jesus, constantly listening to the honest cries of those around him. God wants to be our refuge, where we turn when we need comfort the most. David didn’t stay in the cave forever, but later became King of Israel. And though he was a great man (and a great sinner), he always came back to God as his refuge. Our God is a steadfast refuge that will never leave us nor forsake us. All other things we go to for comfort will not last, but God is right here with us and he’s not going anywhere.
We consistently remind the men in prison of how our great God desires all men to be saved and understand the truth (1 Tim2.4), and that truth includes no promise of tomorrow (James 4.14). Thank you all for your partnership in this mission to bring Christ’s love and the Word of God to those in prison. We couldn’t do it without your prayers and other means of support. I pray our great God would pour out a mighty blessing on each of you this week, in a way that it could have only come from Him.
Grace and Peace,
Rick
Prayer Requests from last Thursday (Inmate sessions):
- José– for my friends, my buddies on the outside, my family that helps me, my girlfriend Haley and her daughter Julianna, my spiritual wellbeing, and great outcomes for my meetings with people.
- Keith– the love of my life (Anita) is seeing another guy, I’m still praying for her (and him), she is still very caught up in drugs and alcohol and this guy is taking advantage of the situation. I’m angry and disappointed, but I still love her. Pray for Anita’s addiction issues and her relationship with daughter Brittney. Pray for my court date on Monday 7/29, that things go well, and pray for our country and our brave military men and women.
- Kenny– I am part of a Bible study every night, with lots of reading different books in the Bible – it has changed my whole mood in here – I was really scared when I first came in here but now I want to find a good church and be part of Bible studies when I get out. I’m sad that I missed being part of a few birthdays in my family this past week. Pray my family doing well, that I can be a better person every day, for better understanding of God’s word, for my time to go smoothly and quick, and for my coworkers , and good friends Frances and Jimmy. I have joy that God understands me and is with me.
- Troy met with Steven- his prayer request is for his mother Linda that is battling colon cancer for her healing and recovery. He also is praying for his 2 sisters and for his girlfriend and her kids. He has a court date August 19th and praying for a favorable outcome. He has an outstanding warrant in Minnesota that needs to be resolved and also praying for restoration of his driving privileges in Pennsylvania.
Prayer Requests from Medium Security (7:00pm Monday service):
- John– for my daughter to know how much I love her, & for his grandfather on a ventilator.
- Drake– for guidance, and protection from Satan, and for a speedy recovery from steroid abuse.
- Ryan – for people in programs to complete them successfully, and for his dad suffering from COPD.
- John#2– for his sister in law suffering with a bad case of cancer.
- Raymond– for leaders in our nation, for families of those here, and for God to use us.
- Eric– to get through this time, & for his family to endure the associated hardships of his being away.
- Daron– for a better spirit, and for the corrections officers to show respect instead of abuse.
- Miguel– wisdom for us, & protection for our families, and to become a better dad.
- Jim– for his son, Jacob.
- Jose– salvation for everyone in this facility.
- Phil T– for Jim’s message tonight, for Rick & Erwin and their families on vacation, and for my son, Kyle, who is having issues w his back, his truck, & his business, that he may not waver in his faith, but trust God even more in his time of testing.
Prayer Requests from Minimum Security (8:30pm Monday service)
- Rob– for my court case on Wednesday 7/31/24.
- J’Ron– all the volunteers.
- Jorge– my friend John who will be leaving prison soon along with myself, my family and everyone in here.
- Kellimel– my kids, my family, everyone in here, safety for everyone, that I stay focused run hard after God.
- Derek– God to keep working on me with the relationships that I’m building back on the block, God shows me the knowledge and wisdom He wants me to pass along, my Bible study group back on the block and the volunteers.
Prayers from Onesimus Prison Ministries
- Endurance, health, and wellbeing for our prison chaplains – Jack, Heinrich, and Rhonda.
- Blessings upon Prison leadership, prison staff, and all of their families
- For expanded use of willing volunteers through allowing expansion of the chapel schedule.
- Resolution of staff shortages which impact families and prison programs.
- All the recently released men and women to find spiritual support and continue their faith journey.
- Blessing and provision for Aftercare ministries assisting inmate transitions back into society.
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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