WEEK 35 – DAY 1

LET ME NOT BE THE SAME

And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak. Ephesians 6:19-20

When I read Paul’s prayer request, I was reminded of the request of another dear saint. Her name is Vera, and she served as one of our translators when I went on a two-week mission trip to Russia in 1997. Vera’s father had been a pastor in Ukraine during communism’s reign in the Soviet Union. He was arrested for having Bibles hidden in his basement and spent several years in prison under extremely harsh conditions. It took a horrible toll on his health. He was never the same and died young. Because of my time with Vera and other believers in Russia, I pray I will not be the same. May I be changed into the bold witness for Jesus that I should be. Vera shared with me that she felt called to share Jesus in her homeland through singing and speaking. She also expressed a belief that the freedom to share the Lord that we experienced on our trip to Russia would not last long. Now in 2019, I am seeing that she was right as their freedom of religion is eroding. Vera asked me to pray for her continued boldness when persecution returns. She requested that I write a song for her using Acts 18:9-10 because the Lord had used that passage to give her peace that He would protect her and provide help for her. So many times, we pray for jobs, for healing, for peace; and we need to continue praying for these. However, we need to pray for boldness, fearlessness, in spreading the gospel.

Father, thank you for the reminder to pray for Vera tonight and to pray that we, too, would be a bold witness to the good news of Jesus. I’ve lost touch with Vera, Lord, but You know exactly where she is. I lift her up tonight and pray that she will continue sharing the Gospel in the boldness and confidence You have given her.