"I will never marry a pastor! Who wants that kind of life?" As a young girl, I said those words more times than I can count. I was born into a pastor’s family, and then I married a pastor who died within the first two years of pastoring (I will share this story with you in the future).
Would you believe I turned around and married a pastor again! Several years after I married Jerry, he was asked to be a conference president. I did not want that to happen. I prayed the whole day the conference Executive Committee met, begging God not to let it happen. God’s answer was No.
Several weeks after Jerry became president, the annual 10-day conference camp meeting took place. People congratulated me and asked how it felt to be the new first lady of the conference. I didn’t like those words. I told them, "I wash his clothes the same way I always have. Please don’t call me ‘first lady.’"
By the last weekend, people started saying something different to me. "We attended a seminar on the Holy Spirit, and we learned it is very important that we pray every day for the fresh baptism of the Holy Spirit in our lives and on our families and our pastors. So we have committed ourselves to praying for you and Jerry every day." I would smile and say thank you, but I was thinking, "Great, so they are praying. What good does that do?"
No one knew how messed up my life was. I thought I was lost, that my sins were so great that God could never save me. I was depressed, miserable, and hopeless.
As a pastor’s wife, you don’t share these kinds of thoughts with anyone, right? You keep them inside and live life just going through the motions. I won’t bore you with the details, but I will tell you that my life was changed through the faithful prayers of those church members!
The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet ou with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV
Result of united prayer
Two years after that camp meeting—two years of people faithfully praying for the baptism of the Holy Spirit in my life—I was a new woman, excited about spending time with Jesus and sure of my salvation.
Praise God for praying people! God turned my life around, and I never want to go back to the way it was.
The more time I spent with Jesus, the more I wanted. The Bible became His living word, just as if He was speaking personally to me. Bible texts that used to discourage me, especially the ones about righteousness, I read with new eyes as the Holy Spirit helped me understand. Because of the blood of Jesus Christ my Savior, I am covered with His righteousness.
Then God began showing me the importance of praying with others. Amazing things happened in people’s lives as we prayed for them.
You may have heard people say, "Well, we can’t just pray, we have to work." Prayer is work!
Since I first committed to pray for people and to pray with one or more other people, I have witnessed the impossible, miraculous, powerful things God has done.
He’s just waiting for His children to come together, first with Him and then with others, in united prayer. Through us—you and me—He wants to change the world!
The Journal
This issue of the Journal announces the call for revival and reformation in each of our lives. Through the Revival and Reformation Committee, our world church president, Ted N. C. Wilson, is leading us to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit every day. Only then will we, God’s people, be empowered to share Jesus with the world!
I hope you can take the time to read this issue, and don’t forget to look at the back cover! Join us in the 777 Initiative, a call for Seventh-day Adventists to join together—seven days a week at 7:00 (a.m. or p.m.)—to pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us, our families, our leaders, and our churches.
Imagine, believers uniting together around the world in every time zone and praying for the outpouring of the latter rain!
I believe that when God’s people get serious about seeking His face and praying together for the Holy Spirit, a power like we have never seen will be unleashed to bring revival and get this work done so Jesus can return!
The Shepherdess Journal is dedicated to serving you, and we want to provide encouragement and support for you in your role as pastors’ wives and mothers. We need your input and your ideas. What articles and resources do you want? What help do you need?
I would love to hear about your journey with God. If you have a rich, growing relationship with Jesus, please share your experiences so we may encourage others. If you are struggling and don’t know where to turn, please write to me so I will know how to pray for you. My e-mail is [email protected].
Please pray for me, too, that I will have wisdom, overcome my feelings of inadequacy, keep a balanced schedule, and maintain my health. I look forward to hearing from you and meeting you in my travels. And remember…
It’s all about Jesus! If that sounds boring, dull, or depressing to you, I encourage you to get on your knees with an open Bible and say, "Jesus, please show me through your Word how much you love me. Teach me to love you." If you will do this every day, I promise that you will begin an exciting journey with God!
