I’m Standing because of Your Prayers
By Audrey Andersson
Last year one of the featured United in Prayer requests was to pray for the Secretary of the Trans-European Division, whose husband was killed in a work-related accident. I was the woman you prayed for, and today I can testify that your prayers have been answered.
When the news came that my husband had been killed, I was sitting in Larnaca Airport in Cyprus, waiting to board a plane. Twenty-four hours later I was home in Sweden, trying to come to terms that my husband, who had been so alive in the morning when we talked on Skype, was now dead. No one expects to die at fifty-five.
In those first few days, as I turned to God, shock and grief seemed to rob me of the ability to pray coherently. The peace and assurance that surrounded me was undoubtedly a result of the intercession of brothers and sisters around the world praying for my needs, filling in the words that I could not formulate.
Looking back on those dark days, I see that prayers were answered in many different ways: the ability to sleep; attend the funeral and memorial without needing medication; return to work six weeks after the accident, when the doctors were advising months off work; and the clarity to deal with the complexities of my husband’s work, so that others were not adversely effected.
Messages of support and comfort came from around the world, but two are directly connected to the United in Prayer request. A few weeks after the accident, I received a card from three ladies in Ipswich, England, who said that they had read the prayer request and wanted me to know that although they did not know me, they were praying for me.
Six months later I was on an airport bus going to a conference. Realizing the other people in the bus were also attending the conference, I introduced myself. After 15 minutes, one of the ladies asked: “What did you say your name was?” When I told her, she said, “We have been praying for you. We read about your husband’s accident, and we have been praying for you ever since.” We hugged each other and cried!
Prayer makes a difference. I know that I stand today, because of the many prayers of you who responded to that request a year ago. During the past year I have been blessed beyond measure. God has not failed me in the past. He has demonstrated that He is with me in the present and I have confidence that He will not fail me as I look the future. Thank you for praying!
Audrey Andersson is Executive Secretary for the Trans-European Division.
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World Church Prayer Requests
for Nov. 12 -19, 2017
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for year-end meetings starting this week in the South Pacific Division. Pray for Holy Spirit wisdom and blessing on those in leadership positions throughout the South Pacific.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for “Centers of Influence” being developed in cities around the world. Pray that they are blessed, managed well, and that they reach thousands for Jesus. Pray for the Mission to the Cities initiative, and for workers to answer the call to serve. There are still so many large urban areas with no Adventist presence.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for all who have been affected by hurricanes, floods, fires and tornados this past summer/fall. Pray that God will provide as families, churches, and communities rebuild. Pray for the relief efforts still under way.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please continue to pray for refugees trapped in difficult living conditions in refugee camps around the Middle East and Europe. Pray for refugees who have migrated into our own neighborhoods. Pray that God would give us wisdom to know how to minister to them in practical and personal ways, for His glory.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for the media networks throughout the Seventh-day Adventist world church that are broadcasting the gospel. Pray for special wisdom and protection for these avenues of communication, especially in areas where it is becoming more difficult to speak freely of the gospel.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for the presidents, directors, and managers of approximately 50 Hope Channel affiliates around the world who are broadcasting the Gospel message in 56 languages.