Prayer Letter - 18 April 2005

To: Prayer Partners
From: Pastor Lucenay

Isaiah tells us God says you are precious and honored in my sight…because I love you. (Isaiah 43:4) What does it mean to pray to One who considers you precious? There is great tenderness in this word precious. Most of what we have is functional. Very little of what we have would we call precious. Though the people around us are very important to us and we to them, there are only a few we would name in the same sentence with the word precious.

When one is precious to another, one is highly valued by that other. If we approach the One would sees us as precious, I believe we can approach Him with great trust. When we realize that He already knows the very thoughts of our minds and our words before they leave our lips, yet still calls us precious, we are a bit overwhelmed. Yet, God’s love for us is that great. He celebrates our victories and hurts with us in our pain. He surrounds us with His all-knowing heart and all-caring spirit.

When you pray to the One who considers you precious, you are approaching the One who awaits your conversation with eager anticipation. He wants to hear your heart. He wants to experience your love. He wants to share your story. And He wants to help you address your challenges.

God loves your family more than you do. As you pray for each member of your family, remember you are precious to Him and each one of these people who is precious to you carries great value to Him. So hold up your loved ones to the Father. Share their stories with Him. Let Him share them with you.

Certainly God loves our church more than we do. He knew there would be a Kowloon International Baptist Church before any of us did. He knows our yesterdays, our today and all of our tomorrows. Let us take time to consider how precious each of the people in the church is to Him. Then let us talk with Him about the prayer needs of our faith family. Let us ask God to:

• help us love one another in the same way Jesus loved us
• teach us to serve one another with the loving spirit with which Jesus served the people around Him
• spur us on to encourage one another so that each of us sees and reaches toward his/her potential in Christ Jesus
• give us the courage to forgive one another with the healing forgiveness of Jesus Christ
• use us to share the way of salvation by faith with those who do not know our Savior
• minister through each of us in tangible ways.

Let us ask God to:

• guide our teachers to meaningful insights that can help us apply the Bible to our lives
• lead our deacons and church leaders be the spiritual role models our church needs
• inspire our pastor to preach God’s truths so we can understand God’s Word and follow His way in our decisions
• equip and lead our staff to help us accomplish God’s purposes

In a week Michelle Kobosky will return to the states. Pray for God’s blessing on her and for God’s guidance in finding the right person to lead our youth and a person to oversee the Praise and Worship ministry.

In a month the Pettys will conclude their work in music ministry at KIBC. Pray for God to guide Elizabeth in her studies and Elena and Benny in their future ministries. Pray for God’s specific leadership in our music ministries.

For several months we have been searching for a principal for our church kindergarten. Pray for God’s person for this role to surface soon and for the people who are working in our kindergarten as they continue without a principal.

As we pray for the ill, let us not forget that God is listening to His precious people as we ask Him to work in the lives of these precious people.

As we pray for the pre-believers remember every soul is precious to our Heavenly Father. Pray that Christ will come to life in their hearts. Let us also pray for the people who attend our church and do not know Jesus as Savior.

Around the world are precious believers who are facing many challenges. Let us pray for them by remembering:

• those who are persecuted for their Christian faith and as well as their families
• those who are serving God in places far from home, and their families back home
• those who are having family difficulties
• those who are living with unemployment
• those who are facing financial struggles
• those who have fallen into the grip of Satan
• those who are seeking to overcome poor choices
• those who are hurting

Thank you for your prayer support and your faithful ministries. May God lift your spirit and help you sense how precious you are to Him.