Thoughts for Life: #24 You Can be Touched by Someone's Prayer

Dr. Wesley L. Duewel- I recall another occasion when, in June of 1962, I was summoned to Los Angeles for a special meeting of the One Mission Society Board of Directors.

During my last day in Landour, six thousand feet high in the Himalayas, I began to feel ill. My throat became raw, my body ached, and I was hot with fever. (Google image, How to climb the Himalayas)

As I worked in my office trying to clear my desk of correspondence, I prayed that my family would not notice how ill I felt, for I feared they would not want me to leave that evening for Delhi and the USA. The family walked with me down the mountainside to the bus stand and did not notice my illness.

As the bus pulled out I waved good-bye to them, but as soon as it rounded the corner, I lay my head on the back of the seat in front of me, too ill to hold it up any longer.

As I felt so feverish, the eighteen-mile ride down the winding road to Dehra Dun was very difficult. At Dehra Dun I caught the train to Delhi.

For some reason that night the fuse was out and the fans and lights in our coach were not working. My fever rose as I struggled with nausea and headache. I thought, "If I could only find one Christian and ask him to pray for me!"

Suddenly, as the train sped on in the darkness, I felt as if a human hand with a cool, wet washcloth had wiped my brow. Instantly my fever, headache, nausea, and sore throat were gone and I felt completely well. Immediately thought, "Who prayed for me?"

There were stopovers in Hong Kong and Tokyo, with a day of prayer scheduled with our Chinese and Japanese co-workers in both cities. Each time, before my message, I told about my recent experience. "I am here today because someone prayed for me. I don't know who it was, but I felt that one's hand."

The OMS board sessions lasted several days in Los Angeles. One day when the mail was brought, there was a letter for me. I opened it and read that about 9:15 P.M. on the day I left Landour, the person had felt a heavy burden of prayer for me. Yes, that was the time and day.

Whether I had felt the actual hand of the pray-er, or whether it was the hand of an angel in answer to the prayer makes no difference. Prayer spanned the miles and left its healing touch on a speeding train that hot June night.

Why don't we experience such a prayer touch more often? Perhaps too few people have developed a listening ear to the still, small voice of the Spirit. Perhaps too often we are not close enough to the Lord to be sensitive to His guidance.

The reality, however, remains. Prayer has a long arm. It can touch heaven, and it can touch anywhere on earth at any time. In some wonderful sense prayer makes you a mediator of God's blessings.

Jesus is the only Mediator between God and men in salvation. Any mediation of blessing that our God permits us to do now is on the basis of Christ's mediation at Calvary and Christ's mediation today on the throne.

But the same Paul who wrote in 1 Timothy 2:5 that there is "one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus," also wrote three verses later, "I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer."

God wants us to join in the intercession that He has ordained. The Son always lives to intercede for us (Heb. 7:25). He is interceding for us now at God's right hand (Rom. 8:34). The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans too deep for words to express (Rom. 8:26). Although the Son and the Spirit are constantly interceding, God's way of intercession is incomplete until you join them in prayer.

The praying Christ is on the throne of heaven, face to face with the Father. But we weak, finite human beings, saved by the grace of God, are given the almost unbelievable privilege of reaching our hands to heaven and also touching God's throne!

Then the prayer team God ordained is complete. In some sacred sense we share with Christ in mediating God's blessings. In some sacred sense God blesses the world through our prayer. Prayer enables us to touch God's throne with one hand and the needy world with the other!

(Chapter 8, pp. 61-63, italics added for emphasis)

Used by permission

of the Duewel Literature Trust, Inc,

Greenwood, Indiana

Available by phone

317-881-6755, ext, 361

or www.duewelliteraturetrust.org

Let's pray-

"Heavenly Father, I am not limited in doing what You have called me to do. Jesus, my Lord, said that everything is possible for him who believes. Lord, I believe; help my unbelief. The circumstances, finances, connections, the skilled people and the anointing needed to fulfill your will have already been provided. You have made every provision I will ever need. I affirm that no word from my Father is without power or impossible of fulfillment! I will stand and look to You for all my needs. Amen"
Germine Copeland

Prayers that avail much

Scripture Reading:
Mark 9:12
Luke 1:37 (AMP)

Today's Bible verses-

Mark 9:23 (NKJV) "Jesus said to him, 'If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' "

Mark 11:22-24 "NKJV) "So Jesus answered and said to them, 'Have faith in God. (v. 23) 'For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will come to pass, he will have whatever he says. (v. 24) 'Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that
you receive them, and you will have them.' "

Today's quotes-

~ Liberty Savard- "When you bind yourself to the steady and fixed things of God, you will find you can finally accept yourself as God does. God's
acceptance and affirmation will be enough to make you feel validated even if the whole world seems to be wishing you'd just go away. Human approval might still be nice once in a while, but you'll know that your real validation comes from the One in heaven who will never withhold it if you fail to measure up. That is because He views things in your life from the perspective of your potential, not your stumbling around trying to get to it." (from SHATTERING YOUR STRONGHOLDS, by Liberty Savard, p. 186)

~ Germine Copeland- "Jesus made an amazing statement when He said that all things are possible to him who believes. How is it possible for the impossible to become possible? Establish your belief system according to the word of God, and bring your thoughts into agreement with your God-given hopes and dreams.
Take control of your thoughts for they will give birth to your words, words will become actions, actions will become habits, and habits will become character, and your character becomes your destiny. Your faith-filled words will give substance to your hopes and your destiny will be fulfilled."

Words of wisdom-

~ Have you tried to earn God's favor? You needn't, as Jesus satisfied your debt long ago when He cried, "It is finished" from the cross. He fully paid our debt of sin to the father. The sacrifice He paid assures us Jesus made the way back through the separation from God. We don't have to fear death!

Today's question-

What really is the Story of Grace?

The Reality is that we have all messed up! Since we have, we need to find what is available to help our brokenness find God's grace for the healing we need.
This is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ, as it's the reason He made the ultimate sacrifice of giving His very blood on the cruel Roman cross those many years ago.
It's told that He willingly allowed the Romans to crucify Him that day, so that He could become the sacrifice needed to make the way back into fellowship with God, the One who created all things for His and our pleasure.
It's up to us to admit our sinful ways, be determined to turn from them with God's help, admit that Jesus, as God's Son, the One who made the sacrifice for us, is willing to save our souls today. To ask Him to save us and to fill us with His Holy Spirit. This is the most important step we'll make!
If you haven't done that, make sure of heaven now by letting God save your soul, and then be determined to find the help you'll need to follow Jesus for the rest of your life. Check out my link from the Billy Graham Association: Prayer for Salvation
Seek a local church to get involved with, checking their online services to get acquainted by watching them, and to learn ways that please God for righteous living. If you want to learn how to pray, just ask the Lord to help you. Read St. John in the Bible, found in the New Testament, and the book of Acts, to get your walk started right. Pray before reading for insight in what you'll read.
Ask the Lord for Christian fellowship to help keep your faith strong, as it will be through this commitment that your faith will grow and become stronger. Sharing your faith with others will help them seek to know Christ too. Some won't be interested, of course, but if you'll pray for guidance to the hearts that are made ready by the Holy Spirit, you'll discover folks that want to know Jesus too.
Lead them in a simple prayer of belief in Jesus, and to confess their sins, giving them all to Him. Then encourage them to invite the Holy Spirit to come into their heart. This will birth in them the New Life Jesus offers. They'll begin to have peace in their hearts right away and may ask questions as to how they're to live to please Him.
Refer them to a good Bible-believing church you've found, to get them growing in faith on a daily basis. You and they, will mature over time, as you'll receive God's grace to become like Jesus. It takes time to learn how to think, act and speak like Him.
Invite them to look forward to living with Jesus and you in heaven for eternity!
You may want to check out the following links for what our churches offer online here in the North Country of NY:

The pastors and elders of the CFC churches in northern NY, will provide a daily devotional:"Streams in the Desert"

and provide a short Scripture reading and a brief message from one of the pastors or elders every day for the coming season. Past special song presentations are listed.

The home pages of the CFC website: https://www.cfconline.org/

[Replay past services, and read past devotionals you missed.
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The livestream link: https://www.cfconline.org/live
[For CFC Sunday services]

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