A million thoughts were chasing themselves around my head this evening, but one stuck out in particular and I thought I would record it here. As I was putting laundry away in my husband’s drawers, a card on top of his dresser caught my eye. It was a birthday card from the senior ministry at our church. Just a nice little thoughtful gesture that he was being thought of and prayed for during this month, his birthday month. Something small, something simple. Something so profound.
It reminded me of cards we used to get several times a year on the mission field from a group of ladies who called themselves “The Richard Bartels Roundtable Prayer Group”. This group of ladies was from a church where my parents had worshipped and served prior to being called to the mission field, quite a few years prior actually. But when the call of God sent my parents overseas to Africa and several places beyond, a group of ladies gathered themselves together and covenanted to meet together to pray weekly for my parents and our family. Remarkably, they did this faithfully for the 26+ years my parents served in missions. 26+ years. That’s a lot of weeks. That’s a lot of prayers. I only had the privilege of twice meeting this remarkable group of women, but some of them assured me they had prayed for me long before I was born, and prayed for me daily since. Most of these dear saints are with the Lord now, but the few that remain still pray faithfully for us. You see, it became a habitual joy, one that after 26 years they aren’t willing to give up. You can’t tell me that those faithful prayers didn’t have a huge impact on my parents’ ministry or on my own life over the years, and still do. I wonder how many disasters were averted, how much the path of my life has been covered by peace rather than turmoil because some obscure, unknown lovers of God took it upon themselves to petition the Throne of Grace on my behalf.
Most of these women did not have the call to go serve overseas. Many of them did not have the means. But they had the hearts to serve and they gave of themselves faithfully, in the way they were best able to. Only eternity will reveal what kind of impact their lives had upon the Gospel across the world. I have a feeling, when it comes time to call everyone to account, these simple, faithful ladies will find themselves standing in a place of high honor at the table of the Bridegroom. Well done, good and faithful servants. You were faithful in little, I will put you in charge of great things. Come, share in the joy of Your Lord. May we so love Him, that we will be faithful in the seemingly insignificant things. Who knows what great Gospel work may be accomplished because of the prayers of just a handful of quiet, persevering servants who commit to be faithful for the long-haul. ~ Matthew 25:14-23.
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