Frontier Stories: An Often Unopened Gift

Prayer can move mountains; it can make rough roads smooth. It clears confused minds. It unties knots in our souls. It thwarts approaching evil. It brings harmony amidst discord. It provides reconciliation and redemption when the world is cheering for the opposite. It offers healing and resources when all options have been exhausted. It replaces individuality and loneliness with community. It produces wisdom and counsel at just the right moment. Yet, prayer is often the last thing we do.

My family and I want to thank you for all the ways you have supported us during these last five months of my chemotherapy. Today is the first official day of my recovery period. Instead of going to the hospital this morning for another round of chemotherapy, I am writing you this message. My chemotherapy cycles have now ended, and the doctors are pleased with my progress, saying that the original lymphoma tumor is no longer visible and that there remains a 3 in 4 chance of cure. In the future, I will have periodic scans and consultations with my oncologist to monitor the progress of my healing. In any event, my future is in God's hands!

Many of you have sacrificed valuable time to pray for my family and me, and the Lord has answered those prayers in wonderful ways. In fact, I am in awe as never before with the gift of prayer. Some of you live in Uganda, Mexico, Egypt, other places in the world, or distant towns in the United State. Yet, from those distances your prayers were translated into the loving presence of so many angels who visited our home at just the right time, lifting our burdens and spirits when we could see no further than the next 24 hours of each day.

I have been reminded that Jesus cares deeply for the afflicted, especially for those who turn to him in faith and prayer. In miraculous ways, in the midst of people's trials and suffering, a community of loving support is formed by our Lord; prayer working through willing hearts creates space for healing. Listen to the words of Jesus in the 11th chapter of Matthew, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Prayer is a gift from God beyond our imaginations. The invisible world of prayer includes a vast network and highway system, which enables grace, healing, and mercy to travel through God's wisdom to the person in need, including us. What a gift!

In the past, I have told you about the Lacandon people in Chiapas, Mexico. For centuries, these people lived in the jungles of southern Mexico in the most unique fashion. Each Lacandon family lived separately having little contact with their neighbors. There was no central meeting place in their villages. Often, there was terrible fighting amongst the men. It was not uncommon for the fighting to result in death. In fact, the chief of the Lacandon was frequently the male who had killed more neighbors than anyone else.

By God's grace, I had the privilege 10 years ago of helping the Presbyterian Church of Mexico send a missionary to live among the Lacandon people. The results have been phenomenal. Today, there are more than 50 devoted followers of Jesus among the Lacandon people in Chiapas, Mexico. These are the first Lacandon in history to form Christian community. There is now a community center, church building, educational facility, and a full-time Mexican missionary who is helping the Lacandon people follow Jesus, the Prince of Peace.

The testimonies of the Lacandon are electrifying as they speak about the Great God Jesus who has brought unexpected healing, both physical and spiritual, amongst their people and within their villages. And, the killings among the men have virtually stopped. These Lacandon believers now often gather in prayer giving thanks to God for their new lives.

God wants us in community. It is impossible to read the Scriptures through any other lens. Fellowship brings healing; isolation and individualism perpetuate even greater pain. God is love; and nothing brings him greater joy than to see his children gather often in mutual support and prayer. As the writer of the book of Hebrews says in the 10th chapter, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Prayer is the oxygen of the Christian life. One way or the other, we must find quiet time in our day to share with God the deep desires and concerns of our hearts, thinking of others, too, in the most specific ways, asking God to be present with them in their struggles. Without prayer our lives become repetitive, lifeless, and stuck as we become increasingly distant from God himself. If we do pray, we enter into a sacred privilege to cooperate with God in bringing healing to another person as well as ourselves.

The prayers of all of you have shaken my family and me to our core - in the best way. Our lives will never be the same as a result. You have helped us heal and unwrap the gift of faith in ways we never expected. Thank you!