SPECIAL ALL CHURCH EDITION: ‘The Prayer 20/20 Impact’ May 31st, 2020 Dear Praying Friends, and Partners In Prayer Team, and whole Church Family,

“For we live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away

from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.”

2 Corinthians 5:7-9 (NIV) Remember our church verse? Please say it with me: “We walk by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). I want to remind you that in the context of Paul sharing that wonderful thought, he was reminding us that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. He was talking about death. During Memorial Day this last week, I hope you didn’t forget that this is a remembrance for those who paid a price for us, so we can have freedom and life in our country. Have you been thinking about being present with God through our Covid-19 quarantine? As I was planting flowers at my father’s grave this week, and running across the graveyard to get water for the flowers, I saw this on a tombstone: “There are no wheelchairs in heaven.” I said aloud to the Lord in that moment, “So true, Lord, so true! I am so thankful! Keep me looking upward through this day! And thank You that I’m able to walk and run. It is always by Your grace, Lord.” I know we all are still thinking about how to return into the presence of church to worship with God’s people, right? I want us to think about walking by faith before we reopen as a church people and prepare in relation to making our church verse a reality and tangible action. So, here is the question I want us to think about in this week ahead: “What may we do to walk with God by faith?” Answer 1: If you wish to walk by faith with God, get off the old road of sin! Have you tried to get to Quakertown this week by taking route 563? Have you been turned around by a “closure” of that road? Have you had to rethink and figure out other ways to get to Quakertown? Puritan Thomas Watson said this: “He that would walk in a pleasant meadow must turn off the road. The way of sin is full of travellers. There are so many travellers on this road that hell, though it is of great circumference, would gladly enlarge itself and make room for them (Isaiah 5:14). Therefore get out of the briars of sin. You cannot walk with God and sin: ‘What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?’ 2 Cor. 6:14).” (The Godly Man, pg. 182). If our lives are traveling an old road of sin, we need to turn around

and get on the right road with God. This week, I was asking God to help me be used by Him. I had several prayer requests come through which reminded me that there are deadends, and roadside assistances in our spiritual faith. We need to be praying as unexpected changes occur for our families, our church plans, and our loved ones’ lives. Plans change. People get caught at dead end streets. We need to pray through the detours. The Eubank family contacted us this week, and they are not sure if they can return from their country yet, if they do, now they are thinking thier return will be by June 14th. That is important because they are missionary family who will be taking the apartment. If they can come, please pray for the Lord to assist them from the “dead” end of trying to get through securities and work on traveling through the summer. I’ve told them that the apartment will sit available for them if they need it nonetheless. So first pray for them. Second, thank you for those who are painting, donating furnishings, doing floor work, and helping to refurbish a fresh and welcoming look to the upstairs. We have not forgotten our ability to help and host people through this Covid-19 crisis. Ray Oostdyk also sent this message along: “We are staying busy working on permissions for evacuation flights, flying mission supplies, and recurrent training, but miss flying the missionaries and work teams that usually come through our doors. Haiti is getting ready to hit its peak for cases of Covid-19 so it may be several months yet before they allow anyone to go back. Our church has had drive-in services the whole time and now the last two Sundays were able to have limited capacity indoor services.”

Also, I received this from Brenda Foster about Ash and the graduation ceremony which Palisades High School will be doing online: “Pray for Ash and the seniors graduating from Palisades High School this year. For anyone at church interested in watching, the virtual

graduation ceremony is on Friday June 12 at 5:30 pm. See the copy of announcement included at the end of this prayer sheet!” We are praying for our seniors! Answer 2: If you wish to walk by faith with God, get acquainted with Him. If we wish to walk with God, we need to be like Job who said: “Acquaint now thy self with Him!” (Job 22:21). How? We study His Word, His promises, and know His attributes. Remember our study before Christmas about the attributes of God? We want to clearly see Him. Take some time and reacquaint the

attributes of God with your life. During this week I’ve made phone calls to visit with many of our members. Please keep John Rimmer in prayer. If you recall, he was taken to the Doylestown Hospital last week. When I called him, he seemed to be doing and feeling well. But we’ve been asked to keep praying, because he had a catherization, and there were not blockages found. The doctors are encouraging John to get a pacemaker. Continue to keep John and Eileen and all their loved ones in prayer. When one member hurts, we all hurt. That is why we always need to be acquainted with one another! Answer 3: If you wish to walk by faith with God, get all the differences removed. Remember the Scripture says, “Can two walk together, except they are agreed?” (Amos 3:3). Just as we take walks with our friends, we are able to walk with God because of the forgiveness and reconciliation He made for us at the cross. We are not enemies with God anymore, but we are friends. As you walk with God this week, are there any differences that are keeping you from Him? What will you do to get those differences resolved? This week Adam Wasser and Samantha Sharo were married on Saturday evening. The wedding took place at Adam’s family home. We are so thankful for them and their love for Christ. As I think about the union of a wedding, they were able to adjust their ceremony for the family. At one moment they allowed for a “drive by” for those who could not attend. I am thankful for all the couples planning marriages this summer. Marriage is not just about our physical, but also our spiritual directions. Pray for marriages of those you know this week. Pray for healing differences to be removed if you know of any. Pray that God will strengthen the marriages of our church people. Answer 4: If you desire to walk by faith with God, get a liking for the ways of God. How often do we know the right way, and do not take it? The ways of God in the Bible are said to be adorned with beauty (Proverbs 4:18); they are sweetened with pleasure (Proverbs 3:17); and they are fenced with truth (Rev. 15:3). Are you enamored with the ways of God? Then take time to pray for God to develop a liking of His ways each day. One thing we can do is take time to thank God for specific things He has done. God’s ways are faithful! We need to thank Him for those ways and share. This week the Coopers shared that God has provided a new van for Ben. Ben also will have a new wheelchair soon, that is electric and especially made for his needs. We can thank God for that! Amen! Also the process has taken about 2 months instead of the 6 months that the Coopers were told about. This week Joel Stewart gave us an update that the work around the new girls’ dorm that is being built in Cambodia is 97% funded and the work for the dorm is 70% complete. God is very much at work at Plas Prai School. If God is

doing a great work in areas that we can’t see, one of the ways we can show appreciation for the ways of God is praising Him for things He has done. Take time this week and purposely give praise for the things God is doing for you. Have you? Will you? Answer 5: If you desire to walk by faith with God, take hold of His arm. This last week, Lori and I went to visit my mom and decorate the family graves for Memorial Day. We had to help my mom because she wanted to go with us. At my dad’s grave, she wanted to walk down to the graveside with us, and not sit in the car. I had to give her my arm to keep her steady through the uneven grass. That reminded me of this truth: “Those who walk in their own strength will soon grow weary and tired.” Psalm 71:16 says: “I will go in the strength of the Lord God.” We cannot walk with God without God. Let us press Him with His promise: “I will cause you to walk in my statues” (Ezek. 36:27). If God takes us by the hand, then we shall “walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). Would you like to make a difference in the world? Why not join the Partners in Prayer Ministry team? By joining in, you can help in carrying out the Great Commission: "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in Heaven and on Earth have been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'" (Matt. 28:18-20 NIV) The time is right and we are in need of many laborers. "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (Matt 9:37-38 NIV) So loved ones, are you willing to walk closer with God by faith? Pray with me, “Our precious Father of grace and truth, thank You that you want us to enjoy and come into Your presence. Thank You that we can enter because of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank You for His taking our place under the curse that our sin merits, and extending full forgiveness and freedoms as sons and daughters to come into Your family to worship, live, love, and adore You, our Abba Father. Holy Spirit, help us to live lives that are truly a blessing to those around us. Help us to love those who are unkind and unfair to us, to speak kind words to those who mock us, and to be gentle with those who are harsh. Thank You that we can be rooted and unmovable, in Your unchanging and eternal character. We adore You in Christ our Beloved One’s Name, amen.” Keeping posted for updates on reopening, Pastor Corvin