PRAYING FOR OTHERS

Monday - February 3, 2020

Posted

“We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you” – Colossians 1:3

In 1949 a group of retired missionaries from China, with a few faithful praying friends, met for their regular missionary prayer meeting in Adelaide, South Australia. A great prayer burden and sense of urgency came on them as they gathered together. All felt especially burdened for Hayden Melsap, then assigned to the China Inland Mission. They unanimously decided to drop all preliminaries and go “straight to prayer.” They prayed until they all felt a sense of peace and relief. 

A few years later, Hayden Melsap traveled to Australia, the missionaries asked him if he recalled any unusual occasion at that time. To their amazement, they found that on that day and hour Hayden and at least two other missionaries were backed against a wall in a courtyard in China, with communist guns pointed at them. Just as the officer was about to issue the command to fire, the door of the courtyard opened and a higher official entered. Shocked to see what was about to happen, he shouted, “Stop!” The official then stepped up, put his arm around Melsap, and led him and the others to safety. 

One of the best gifts you can give others is prayer. Today in prayer, look to the Lord with expectancy and pray for some of the needs of others.

“I have benefited by my praying for others; for by making an errand to God for them, I have gotten something for myself.” – Samuel Rutherford

God’s Word: “God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.” – Romans 1:9-10