The Third Rail

As the superstorm Sandy hit the US a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a topic of conversation that I hadn't ever seen before.  As the floodwaters took over New York City, there was a lot of talk about the damage they would do to the subway system as the salt in the water would ruin the electrical system.  Many of the articles talked about the potential damage to the "third rail" that carries the power for the trains.  I had never really thought about how trains get power, but this idea of a third rail intrigued me.  As I looked up more information, I realized that the third rail systems are used all over, and placed alongside the tracks to carry the power to keep the trains moving.  While they go unnoticed most of the time, they are vital to the actual work of the train.  When they stop working, the trains stop working & it comes to a halt.

And it hit me that I have a third rail as well, and that is what has kept me going as I serve & live here in Swaziland.  As I have entered this season of life & ministry, I knew that it was going to be an uphill battle the whole way as I began life in another country, in a difficult ministry setting, with many things going against me.  And so I intentionally sought to raise my prayer support from what it was before.  Ever since seminary, I have noticed how much stronger satan attacks as we step out in faith and ministry, and so I have tried to be intentional about having people pray for me as I serve in the front lines of ministry.  And thankfully I learned early on that the wise ask for prayer, not the foolish.  

I have a broad base of church & family support that pray for me frequently, but I am eternally grateful for the 12 good friends that accepted the call to intentionally & specifically pray for me throughout one day each week.   While I serve & live in this foreign culture, seeking to walk intimately with God as He leads me through life & ministry, I walk confidently knowing that I have these friends who are lifting me up in prayer throughout the week - as they go through their everyday lives as:

~ missionaries

~ wives

~ counselors

~ mothers

~ secretaries

~ sisters

~ teachers

~ daughters

~ friends

As they lift me up in prayer throughout their week, I honestly feel like Moses as he is described in the battle between Joshua & Amalek.

"But Moses' hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side.  So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun."

(Exodus 17:12)

I know that there are more people praying for me than I could even imagine and I trust the Lord to burden your hearts with specific ways to pray for life & ministry & people here in Nsoko.  But I am thankful for this "third rail" of people in my life that are continually bringing me before the Lord & praying on my behalf.