Call to God

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened (Matthew 7:8).

An American Christian pastor from my denomination in Turkey, Pastor A, has been arrested and imprisoned since February 7, 2016, on false terrorism charges because of his Christian faith. Last month, Pastor A was able to send the following note to his wife, N, which she posted on social media: “I am pretty shattered … I am very discouraged. Please have prayer for me.” She added, “Pastor A has been walking by pure faith in the dark, but oh, for the Lord to break through with a sense of His presence. May the lies—and those telling the lies—be exposed in the name of Jesus. May we have the Lord’s perspective on all things—on Him, ourselves, eternity, suffering … Thanks for praying.” As I was reading Jeremiah 33 this week, the LORD brought to my attention that Jeremiah was in still in jail when God promised, “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (33:3). The prison context changes the depth of God’s word to Jeremiah. There is a sense of intimacy between God and Jeremiah and it did not matter that Jeremiah was in prison. God offered Jeremiah hidden and unsearchable knowledge - to search the infinite mind of God. The Well Church, would you join with me in prayer for Pastor A? Let us pray that Pastor A would experience the presence of God in his dark cell, and that God will answer Pastor A as he calls upon the Lord for “everyone who asks receives” (Matthew 7:8).