A Manual for Prayer - Part 2 — William MacDonald

Sound Words Tape Ministry, Queensland. This is cassette number two in the study series with Mr. Macdonald in the subject of prayer taken from the Book of Acts. It begins with chapter six of the Book of Acts.

Mr. Macdonald.

Prayer and the Choice of Deacons

Then we turn over to chapter six and we find prayer for the choice of deacons. Chapter six, and this is beautiful too. Some lovely touches here. Let's begin back in verse one. In those days when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

These were all people of, these were all believers. Some of the Grecian or Hellenistic background and others of Hebrew background, all Jewish converts. Then the twelve called a multitude of the disciples unto them and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God and serve table.

Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over the business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.

And the saying pleased the whole multitude. And they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Procurus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicholas, a proselyte of Antioch, whom they set before the apostles.

And when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them. Here was one of the first instances of difficulty in the early church. The Hellenistic Jews were... The Hellenistic converts were complaining against the Hebrew converts.

They thought their widows were being neglected in the daily ministration. What do you do in a case like this? This is a big problem today. The problem is always the personal problem. Interpersonal relationships.

Prayer is sufficient. They get down on their knees. They prayed. They selected men to carry on. They selected what we would call deacons. Did God answer that prayer? Notice verse 7. And the word of God increased, and the multitude of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

Isn't that wonderful? You have prayer in the book of Acts, and then you read the next verses, and things start to happen. Hudson Taylor once said, and beautifully said, learn to move man through God by prayer.

Learn to move man through God by prayer. That's what these people knew. In the book of Acts, you see them praying. You see things click. You see the gears mesh. You see the work of God moving forward.

The word of God increased. The number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly. And I can just imagine the thrill, the path that rippled through that Christian company, just to think that some of the priests in Jerusalem were becoming obedient to the faith.

Stephen's Prayer at the Death of the First Martyr

Praise God. What a book this is, the book of Acts. Then chapter 7, you have the wonderful story of Stephen, first martyr of the Christian church. How did Stephen die? He died praying. He died praying for his guilty murderers.

That's the way he died. Acts chapter 7, verse 54. We'll begin. Prayer of the first martyr. Acts 7, verse 54. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.

Then they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord and cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down the clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God and saying, that is, Stephen as he was calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.

And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Wonderful, isn't it? There's a man expiring for Jesus Christ. He's going to lay down his life for the namesake of the Lord Jesus. And before he passes off this scene, he just wants time to pray.

And he says, Lord, don't lay this sin to their charge. You know, it's a beautiful touch there. How did the Lord Jesus die? He died praying, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. Stephen had been occupied with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Stephen had been gazing upon the Lord Jesus Christ. And you know, when you gaze on Christ, you're changed by beholding. Stephen died, and he says, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. It was Christ reproduced in Stephen.

Did God answer the prayer? What about that prayer of Stephen? Shall we just write that one off as one of the prayers in the book of Acts that wasn't answered? Well, I wouldn't do that. I'd rather turn over to the ninth chapter of this book and read there the conversion of a young fellow named Saul of Tarsus.

And you know, I can't help going back to the end of the seventh chapter and the prayer of Stephen when I think of the conversion of Saul. After all, it mentions his name there. It says in verse 58, the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul.

Saul was listening when this martyr prayed, and it left its indelible effect upon him. My, it's really worth praying, isn't it, if you could catch a fish like Saul every once in a while? He changed the history of civilization.

Prayer for the Samaritans

Does it pay to pray? It certainly paid as far as Stephen was concerned. Then in chapter 8, verses 15 through 17, the gospel has been down in Jerusalem, the gospel has moved out in Judea, the gospel's now going up to Samaria.

Samaria! You mean that half-breed people, the Samaritans? You mean that half-caste people, the Samaritans, partly Jewish, partly Assyrian? Now the gospel's going up there. Of course, there will be repercussions, there will be people who will hesitate, people with racial prejudices, and all the rest.

But never mind, the gospel's going up there. And Peter and John are going to go up there and pray for the Samaritans. Verse 14, Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John, who, when they were come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

For as yet he was fallen upon none of them, only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost. Isn't that wonderful? They go up to Samaria, they pray, lay their hands on the Samaritans, and the Samaritans receive the Holy Spirit of God.

Saul's First Prayer and Ananias's Obedience

The blessing is spreading. Jesus said it would, beginning in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. And it's spreading by prayer, if you read the book carefully. The conversion of Saul of Tarsus in chapter 9, verses 11 through 17, this fellow no sooner gets saved than he begins to pray.

That's a beautiful thing, isn't it? We talked last night, or previously, about the instinct of prayer. Yes, speaking to God as Father. And here you have this man, he had really been a fanatic in the cause of religion, and now he's going to be a fanatic for Jesus Christ.

All right, verse 10, And there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias, and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias, he said, behold, I am your Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the street which is called straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for he prayeth.

Isn't that lovely? He prayeth. Saul is on his knee. He prayeth. Did God answer the prayer? Of course God answered the prayer. He sent Ananias to him. That's a wonderful thing, isn't it? To think that God has his Ananiases stationed at strategic places, and all God has to do is say, Ananias, here I am, Lord.

And I think when he said, here I am, Lord, he meant, available, Lord. What do you want me to do? Now, mind you, there was a measure of natural reluctance when the call came to Ananias, but that's nothing.

In every real call of God, there seems to be a measure of natural holding back, and natural reluctance. But God the Holy Spirit is able to overcome that. Verse 12, I seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him that he might receive his sight.

Then Ananias answered, Lord, I've heard by many of this man how much evil he hath done to thy saints in Jerusalem. The Lord said, don't worry. He's a chosen vessel unto me that bear my name before the Gentiles.

Verse 17, Ananias went his way and entered into the house and putting his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared to thee in the way as thou camest hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

That's a comfort. Here's a man, and he's just been saved, and he prays, and he prays with power, and God starts moving people on behalf of that man. Thrilling, isn't it? You don't have to be old. You don't have to be along the way a long time in the Christian life.

You've recently been saved. Pray and see God work. Not only is it a thrilling truth that God has Ananias stationed at strategic places, it's also a thrilling truth that you and I can be in Ananias. Isn't that nice?

You know, maybe near you there's someone ripe for salvation. Wouldn't it be wonderful if God put his finger on you and said, Look, now, here's somebody. He's saved, but he needs follow-up work. He needs somebody to go and sit with him at the kitchen table and open the Bible and just go over some of the simple truths with him and get him built up in the faith.

Are we willing to be that? Are we like Ananias, saying, Here I am, Lord, ready. Just tell me what you want me to do. Saul prayed following his conversion, and God sent Ananias to him. He received his sight, and he received the Holy Spirit.

Peter's Prayer and the Raising of Dorcas

Then in the end of chapter 9, you have Peter praying at Joppa, and Dorcas is raised to life. Thrilling thing. Verse 36, There was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas.

The woman was full of good works and almsdeeds, which she did. It came to pass in those days that she was sick and died, whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. People are all weeping, sorrowful over what has happened.

Verse 40, Peter put them all forth and kneeled down and prayed, and turning him to the body, said, Tabitha, arise. She opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints, it was presented to her life, and it was known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord.

Peter prayed. Woman is raised from the dead. Many believe on the Lord. The word goes forth. It came to pass that he tarried many days in Joppa with one called Simon the Tanner. Thrilling, isn't it? Say, yeah, but we don't raise dead to life.

More wonderful miracle than that is to present the gospel to sinners today and see them raised to life, and they see the ripples of blessings spreading, seeing God hitting families with chain lightning and one getting saved after the other.

Cornelius, Peter, and the Gospel to the Gentiles

How's it done? Prayer. Praying souls into the kingdom of God. And then in chapter 10, you have really a wonderful study in prayer. I commend chapter 10 to you. Wonderful story about Cornelius. Cornelius was a Roman centurion, but he was a devout man, and he was searching after God, and he used to pray, and he offered up alms to God as well.

All the centurions in the New Testament are presented as righteous men. It's an interesting thing. Not a bad one in the lot. It says in verse 2, "...a devout man, one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.".

Now really, Cornelius was what we might call an unconverted man. He was a proselyte to Judaism, a proselyte of the gate, but he really wasn't indwelt by the Spirit of God. He wasn't a Christian. But anyway, in a sense, he was living up to the light that God had given him, and he was praying to God.

What happened? Well, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, Cornelius, your prayers and alms are come up as a memorial before God. Now I want you, there's a man in a city about 35 miles away from here, and I want you to send to him, and he'll come and tell you what you ought to know.

Pretty thrilling, isn't it? And right about that same time, a man in the city about 35 miles away went up on the rooftop to pray. His name was Peter. And as he was praying there, the Lord was saying, I've got to prepare this man for the work that he's going to do with Cornelius.

So Peter fell into a trance, and he saw a sheet let down from heaven with all manner of beasts in it. And the Lord said to him, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. And Peter said, Not me, Lord. You know me, I've been a devout Jew.

I've never eaten anything that wasn't kosher yet. I don't intend to start now. But the Lord said to him, Peter, this is the whole point of the thing. What God has cleansed, don't you call common or unclean.

And so in a wonderful way, God set the chariot wheels in motion. And the men come to Peter's house at just the right time. And Peter goes down to Cornelius' house and tells him words whereby he might be saved.

Verse 44 of chapter 10 of the book of Acts, While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as were with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any forbid water that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord.

Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. Cornelius, even an unsaved man, he's praying. God in heaven hears those prayers. And God sets things in motion. Peter comes, tells him the gospel. He trusts Christ and all his house.

And the blessing starts to spread to the Gentile world. Does it pay to pray? Well, as I go through the book of Acts, and we'll continue with this tomorrow morning, Lord willing, it just makes me want to fall down on my knees and say, Lord, teach me to pray.

Peter's Deliverance Through the Church's Prayer

We turn to Acts chapter 12. We'll continue our study of prayer in the book of Acts. You remember that yesterday we said that a subtitle to this study might be, Does it pay to pray? Acts chapter 12, verse 1.

About that time, Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James, the brother of John, with a sword. Because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also.

Then were the days of unleavened bread. When he had apprehended him, he put him in prison and delivered him to four quaternion of soldiers to keep him, intending after Easter, or rather Passover really, to bring him forth to the people.

Peter therefore was kept in prison, but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. When Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping, between two soldiers bound with two chains, the keepers before the door kept the prison.

Behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison, and he smote Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals.

And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out and followed him, and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel, but thought he saw vision.

Down to verse 12. When he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.

And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so.

Then said they, It's his angel. But Peter continued knocking. When they had opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with his hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.

Reviewing Answered Prayer in Acts

And he said, Go, show these things unto James and to the brethren. And he departed and went into another place. I think it might be good for us just to review these instances of prayer that we've had so far in the book of Acts.

You remember in chapter 1, we had the prayer preceding Pentecost. And the answer to that prayer was the marvelous outpouring of the Spirit of God at Pentecost with all that followed that wonderful event.

Then at the end of chapter 1, you have a prayer for a successor to Judas. And that prayer was answered in the selection of Matthias to be his successor. In chapter 2, verse 42, you have the prayer following Pentecost.

And that was answered in a state of continuous revival, souls being saved, the people of God going on happily for the Lord. Then you have prayer for boldness and power in chapter 4, verses 24 and 29. And the Lord did pour great power, great witness, great grace was upon them all.

You have the prayer for a choice of deacons in chapter 6, verses 3, 4 and 6. And you remember that after that, the word of the Lord went forth tremendously. Then you have the prayer of the first martyr Stephen in chapter 7.

And you remember we suggested that one of the answers to that prayer might have been the conversion of Saul of Tarsus. Not bad, not a bad answer to prayer. Remember in chapter 8, you have the prayer of Peter and John for the Samaritans.

And that prayer was answered with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Samaritan people. Chapter 9, verses 11 through 17, you have the prayer of Saul. Saul's first prayer after he was saved, God had Ananias ready.

Ananias came, Saul received his sight, and also received the Holy Spirit. Then you have Peter's prayer at Joppa, which resulted in the raising of Dorcas from the dead, and many believed. Chapter 10, as we closed yesterday, we had the prayer of Cornelius, a man, a righteous man, a God-fearing man, not really a believer in the Lord Jesus.

We saw the wonderful working of God, preparing the heart of Peter. Peter came and told Cornelius and his household words by which he might be saved. Now in chapter 12, verses 5 through 17, you have the prayer for imprisoned Peter.

One of the number has been placed in jail. James has been killed, Peter is in jail. What do the Christians do? It says, prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. This is an interesting thing.

That was a good prayer meeting. That's the kind of a prayer meeting you'd really like to attend. You know why? Because the best prayer comes from a strong inward necessity. You can pray best when your need is the greatest.

You can pray best when the water is the hottest. Isn't that true? And it's a strange thing. The way we do, we try to cushion ourselves and comfort ourselves and shield ourselves from all the shocks of life.

And this is one of the reasons why our prayers are so dull and dead and insipid and lifeless. I'll tell you, if we had prayer meetings today, like this prayer meeting in Acts chapter 12, you wouldn't be able to keep people away with a baseball bat.

Well, God answered the prayer in a wonderful way. Peter was miraculously delivered from prison. I don't know why we should be surprised at that. And he knew where the Christians would be and he knew what they would be doing.

In verse 12, they were there and they were gathered together praying. A prayer, as we said yesterday, with the atmosphere of the early church. Now, it is true that Rhoda came to the door and when she saw Peter, she didn't even bother to open the door.

She just left him there, cooling his heel, and went in and told the people. And they themselves were a bit unbelieving. They didn't really, in a sense, expect that it was Peter. And I guess we tend to reproach Rhoda and the other Christians there.

But honestly, I'd rather pray the way they prayed and see the answer, no matter what my reactions might be afterwards. To me, the wonderful thing is they prayed. And they prayed with power and Peter was released from prison.

Prayer Sending Paul and Barnabas on Mission

Wonderful thing, isn't it? Now, if you'll move over to chapter 13, we'll read the first three verses, the prayer of the prophets and teachers at Antioch. Chapter 13, verse 3, it says, Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas, and it goes on to mention their names.

They ministered to the Lord, they fasted. The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. And when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

Now, this sounds kind of tame in a way. You think, well, just a quiet incident, and they sent Paul and Barnabas away, they prayed. But I want to tell you, those prayers were some of the most far-reaching prayers that have ever been uttered, because those prayers ushered in what you might call the first missionary journey of the Apostle Paul.

And the shock waves of that journey are still going around the world, and most of us here today, saved by the grace of God in a sense, are the fruit of that little prayer meeting in Acts chapter 13. Now this thrills my soul when I think of it.

You mean to say that a little group of people praying back there, and incidentally it was a little group, wasn't it? That they could pray back there in the first century of the history of the church, and that the prayers could still be being answered today, and I say that's exactly what it was.

These are the prayers that sent Paul and Barnabas out on the first missionary journey, and you tried to measure the effect of that missionary journey today. It's absolutely impossible to do it. ...touched the ends of the earth, and the results are still going on.

Prayer for Believers and the Ministry of Timothy

Well, then in chapter 14, verse 23, chapter 14, verse 23, in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, Paul and Barnabas prayed for those who had believed. It says in verse 23 of chapter 14 of Acts,. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord on whom they believed.

What do you say, just a simple prayer for the believers, for part of the fruit of their missionary endeavor. Yes, that's true. But you know, one of those persons was probably a young man by the name of Timothy.

That wasn't bad either, was it? Wonderful to think of these men crying to God for these saints, and realizing the potential for God in these people who had been born again. God raises up a young man named Timothy who goes out with the Apostle Paul and is mightily used of God.

How much we owe to Timothy today. You know, what it really boils down to is that every prayer in the book of Acts is answered, isn't it? Is every prayer in your life answered? Well, I believe if you're a Christian, if you're praying in faith, the answer is yes.

Every prayer is answered. I'm a very simple believer. I don't try to solve all the mysteries of prayer, but I have a very simple faith that every prayer I pray is answered. I have that kind of a God. The wonderful thing is He answers them in the way that's best for me, not in the way that I always think to be best, but in the way He knows to be best for me.

God, nothing does nor suffers to be done, but what thou wouldst thyself couldst thou but see the end of all He does, as well as He. And when we get to the end of the journey and look back and think of all our prayers and think of all the answers, we're going to say, my Jesus hath done all things well.

Paul and Silas Pray and Praise in Prison

Yes, I really believe that. I believe that all my prayers are answered by my heavenly Father. And I bless the hand that guides, and I bless the heart that plans. Well, then we come over to chapter 16 of Acts for the next instance of prayer.

Acts 16, verses 25 through 34. Paul and Silas have been arrested, these disturbers of the peace. They've been thrown into jail. And what are they doing? Well, it says in verse 25, at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God, and the prisoners heard them.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here. Then he called for light and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

They said, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Thy house. Wonderful, isn't it? Here are two men in jail for Christ's sake, feeling sorry for themselves, and not a bit of it. Prayer and praise meeting at midnight.

Dr. Rineside always used to comment on this verse. He used to say that the gospel entered Europe on the wings of a sacred concert and it brought down the house. Well, it really brought down the house.

An earthquake. You know, throughout the area, the next day if people had had newspapers, they would have been reading about an earthquake and they'd have known about the earthquake. But they wouldn't have realized that the earthquake had spiritual significance to it.

And I often think of this when we read the newspaper. We read about a famine in India. We read about an earthquake in Turkey. We read about incidents all over the world and in a sense they're just news in black and white in the newspaper.

But don't ever forget this, there's a spiritual significance behind every one of them. And what it really boils down to, this was a very well-timed earthquake, wasn't it? I mean, Paul and Silas pray and all of a sudden there's an earthquake.

What does it mean? Well, I'll tell you what it means. It means all things serve the man who serves Christ. And everything is working together for good to those who love God, who are the called ones according to his purpose.

Prayers with the Ephesian Elders and Christians at Tyre

All things are ours, that we are Christ's and Christ is God's. And Paul and Silas realized this as they prayed and as God answered prayer so marvelously. Now, moving over to chapter 20, we have another instance of prayer.

Chapter 20 and verse 36. Paul has been speaking with the elders of Ephesus. They've come down to Miletim to meet him and he gave this wonderful talk to them. Verse 17, From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church.

He pours out his heart to them. It's the most moving and affecting message that the Apostle Paul delivers to them. It says in verse 36,. And when he had spoken, he kneeled down and prayed with them all.

And they all wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship. Well, you say you're stuck, MacDonald.

How is that prayer answered in the book of Acts? That's a good question, too. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't notice that I hadn't turned it over. I was making signs and I didn't recognize the sign. The prayer of Paul and Silas in prison.

Paul's prayer with the Ephesian elders, chapter 20, verse 36. How was this prayer answered? Well, it strikes me this way. First of all, it brought forth a very touching demonstration of the affection of these Ephesian people for the great apostle Paul.

Just remember this. He's really on his way to the executioner's block, and I think he knows it. He's going to Rome eventually, and he's going to put his head down on the block, and he's going to die for Christ.

It seems to me that all the way to Rome, it'll be a nice thing to be able to look back to that incident with the elders at Miletum. They're praying for him, and they're weeping for him. You know, sometimes we get into tight spots in life where it's even hard for us to pray.

Have you ever been there? It's awful nice to know somebody else is praying for you at a time like that. And I see these prayers of the elders of Ephesus at Miletum answered in the life of the apostle Paul in the days that were to lie before him.

Then in chapter 21, verse 5, you have another touching incident on the beach at Tyre. First, let's go back to verse 3. 21, 3. The prayer of the Christians at Tyre. Now, when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand and sailed into Syria and landed at Tyre, for there the ship was to unlaid her burden.

And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days, who said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not go up to Jerusalem. When we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way. They all brought us on our way with wives and children till we were out of the city, and we kneeled down on the shore and prayed.

When we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship, and they returned home again. Now, once again, I believe that these prayers followed Paul to Jerusalem and followed him to Rome. He needed much of the grace, the strengthening of God in these days of difficulty that he was soon to face.

Here he knows there's the elders at Ephesus, there's these Christians at Tyre. They're praying for him. Are you conscious of the prayers of a Christian mother that have followed you down through life?

Paul's Prayer Before the Shipwreck and on Malta

I am. I really am. Wonderful thing to have Christian friends, too, who are remembering you faithfully in prayer. It's real. It works. It means a lot. Now, just two more. Paul's prayer prior to the shipwreck.

Chapter 27, verses 35 and 36. Things are getting tough there on board ship, and everybody's heart is low. The people are disconsolate. Verse 35, When he had thus spoken, he took bread and gave thanks to God in presence of them all.