Things To Pray For In May
In a recent quarterly prayer update, Mark Prater writes,
‘The author of Hebrews reminds us of the access we have to God because of the finished work of our great high priest, Jesus Christ. He writes, "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14-16). Because of Jesus, we can actually enter the throne room of God when we pray. In his commentary, Matthew Harmon says this, "Prayer is one of God’s greatest gifts to His people. Who are we to enter the very throne room of the God of the universe? Yet because of the work of Christ we are able to do so.” Prayer is a gift from God because when we pray, we enter the very throne room of God because of Christ, and God leans in to hear our prayers.’
Friends, how incredible is that! As we pray, we are able to enter into the very throne room of God, who will hear and answer our requests according to His good will. What a wonder! So with that in mind, here’s some requests you could take in on our behalf over this next month…
Please pray for our current US Pastors College class, who will graduate on May 30th, asking God to give them grace for their transition back home, and to use their training to serve their church in any way that is needed.
Please pray for the 19 brothers in the Philippines who are beginning the 10 month ordination track this month. They represent the many candidate churches that have been pursuing Sovereign Grace for some time. Please pray for them and for all those in the Philippines, Australia and US involved in the SGC Adhoc Philippines Ordination Committee, serving in this important and strategic endeavour.
Please pray for Juan Solano, a Sovereign Grace ordained elder from San Jose, Costa Rica, and his family who were commissioned to Lebanon to reach Muslims with the gospel a year ago. Pray for their ongoing protection and safety during the military engagement in the Middle East. Pray also that Juanjo can plant a Sovereign Grace church sometime in the next few years and eventually equip and ordain Lebanese pastors to lead the church.
Please pray for Carlos Contreras, Sr. Pastor of Iglesia Gracia Soberana in Juárez, Mexico, and National Leader of SGC Mexico, and he leads the Mexico National Assembly of Elders meeting, May 11th-14th, in Guadalajara, Mexico asking God to empower his leadership, and to give the pastors in Mexico wisdom for the decisions they will make to serve the churches in their nation.
Please pray for Joel Shorey, our Director of Church Planting, as he heads to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to teach at the Trinity Fellowship Pastors College, 24th-31st May on Church Planting. Please pray this is a wonderful time for each of the nine PC students and that they’ll be encouraged and strengthened for the days ahead.
Please pray that wherever we find ourselves in the world, that God would give the members of Sovereign Grace Churches a renewed desire, and opportunities to share the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ with the unbelievers in our communities, colleges and workplaces.
Please pray that God would continue to provide financially for Sovereign Grace Churches so that we can continue to fund the gospel opportunities that He is giving us throughout the world. And also, for wisdom for the various Global Development Fund Committees that will begin to gather this month to discuss the many global opportunities in the financial year ahead.
… As we approach Him in these things, may His grace abound!