“Pray one for another… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16, KJV).
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
In this troubled time, when sorrow and pain burst into our lives in the territory of the Euro-Asian Division—when our perception of reality was divided into “before and after”—we keep our hope in the Lord, who gives us assurance of His love and supports and keeps us.
We are sincerely grateful to all of you, dear brothers and sisters, for your prayers, faithfulness to God, and dedicated service in works of mercy; for your open hearts in helping and supporting refugees and migrants; for your readiness to share shelter and bread with those in need.
Throughout the week, the church was in prayer and fasting, asking for God's protection and mercy for all those in need. God showed His mercy and care, but there are still a lot of challenges. These are hardships in connection with forced displacement, grief from losses and suffering, the pain of breaking relationships with loved ones, and many other experiences. Therefore, we need to keep crying out to the Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters, do not let up in prayer. Expand your prayer work—create prayer chains, organize prayer groups, hold prayer meetings—because our help is only in the Lord!
We invite you to continue our prayerful standing before the Lord, not abandoning works of mercy, giving people all kinds of support, sharing bread, providing shelter to those in need, and with humility, crying out to God in prayer every evening at 19:00. Additionally, on the Sabbaths of March 5 and 12, 2022, unite in fasting and prayer for God's intervention, protection, and guidance; for the comfort of those who have lost their loved ones; for wisdom for all on whom the recovery from these difficulties depends; and for the extension of the time of grace to serve in the territory of the ESD.
Let this become the time of closeness to our God, rethinking of our life values, disposition of our hearts to serve, and confidence in the imminent coming of our Lord.
“[The Lord] asks us to come close to His side. Whatever difficulties we labor under, which weigh down soul and body, He waits to make us free” (Ellen White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 249).
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
This article was originally published on the Euro-Asia Division’s news site