Prayer Letter for January, 2023
"No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."
~1 Corinthians 10:13
Dear church leaders and prayer partners:
May you have a blessed new year!
On the occasion of the Chinese Lunar New Year, all the members of Voice of Salvation greet you in the Lord and wish you and your family peace, health and joy!
Thank God for the grace to the Voice of Salvation. In the past year of ministry, although our manpower was insufficient, yet we continued transmitting tens of thousands of hours of programs through radio and Internet. We look forward to delivering God's promises through these programs to accompany, comfort and lead listeners to build faith in Christ, rely more on God and draw closer to God.
A listener from Mainland China left a message on our website recently that said: "...During the quarantine period last month, two men in their thirties jumped off the building when they were quarantined at home. The financial pressure was huge. I can’t imagine if I were living in the same community while elderly people in my family would need to go to hospital to prescribe medicines or go for required medical check-ups. Will I encounter many difficulties as well? I can only ask the Lord to keep us safe...." From such messages we know how desperate and fearful people are under the ravages of the pandemic. Moreover, many people couldn’t get any medical treatments in the pandemic, or they were put under financial pressure caused by it that eventually they chose to commit suicide! It was heartbreaking and it saddened us. We’d like to invite you to pray for them, hoping that they can hear God’s salvation in their despair. Not only receiving God’s mercy immediately, but also witnessing that God can open a way for them in distress and be their strength in difficult situations.
Facing the unknown 2023, we sincerely invite you to continue praying for our manpower required for various ministries. Let us wait patiently for God’s grace to prepare and believe that God’s will to be done. He does not want anyone to perish but wishes the grace of salvation to be spread to the ends of the earth through the Voice of Salvation!
[Thanksgivings, News and Prayer Requests]
1. Praise God, the six programs broadcast by the Voice of Salvation on the Liangyou platforms, reached a total 920,000 hits by the end of November 2022. Moreover, the Voice of Salvation YouTube channel has accumulated almost 8,000 subscribers by far. Please pray for all the above platforms to be used by God to bless and build up the listeners.
2. Thank God, a total 39 sessions of Radio Sundays have been scheduled this year to share our ministry and our visions. Please pray for each session, including personnel arrangements and more promoting opportunities.
3. Thank God, our English program "Easy and Happy English" has launched its new series [Proverbs] that can be heard on our official website and App. In addition, please pray for new programs under production, such as "Our Home", "Echoes from the Valley" and "Singing Happily"
4. Please pray for the ongoing APP optimization project that’s expected to be launched in March.
[Letters and messages from Listeners]
◎From China...Peace be with you! Abba Father has heard your prayers. My son is out of critical health now. I asked God for mercy, forgiveness and healing. Please continue praying for his recovery! …
◎From Taiwan... Thank God for reminding me through your programs and strengthening my faith. In these two months, I have also learned to rely on God, not on myself...It is great to have you walking together on the path of faith. May God help you. …
◎From China...Thank God that I can learn His words from home. The shutdown in our community this time is impacting a lot more than what was done three years ago, which also allowed me to experience countless miracles that I could not have even imagined. Thank God…
◎From China...Recently, I had a conflict with a member in Christ.... May I ask what you would choose to react if you encountered such a situation?
◎From China...After the adjustments these days, my situation has been improved significantly. I’d like to ask a question, how do you manage your own income and expenditures in a reasonable way? Do you plan for the allocation of your income and adjust it periodically? If you do, what drives you to do so? Thank you so much...
◎From China... Upon listening to your programs, I thought about the Internet addiction issue that I am overcoming… Now I use God's words to find the goal of my life to establish a healthy connection with the world again.
◎From China ... I am a little listener who has sent you an email before. I am 6 years old and fond of your programs very much. Here sending you this recording message as I am touched by listening. Wishing you peace and joy...
[Letters from Students of Correspondence Bible Courses]
◎Student Lee... Although I believed in Jesus, yet I find it difficult to believe that I am a beneficiary to God’s abundant grace. I felt guilty about the sins that I have ever committed and not over it. The gospel seems to be too good to be true that Jesus can forgive “all the sins ever committed”…
God, please strengthen me to believe that salvation is working in my life today.
◎Student Zuo... It is really not easy to pursue the path of following God, especially in the process of being sanctified and purified, which is extremely painful, dejected and frustrating. After I got tested positive for Covid a while ago, my life was turbulent and it impacted everything I do. Constant difficulties and tribulations came upon me. I couldn’t feel Heavenly Father, I cried and roared, complaining why God didn’t help me, why did he put these sufferings on me? Although I said that I want to stop believing in God, and quitted QT each day, neither reading the Bible, yet I still can’t disconnect with God... In the end, everything passes, things can be resolved one after another, and life will gradually resume normal. Father God is teaching me to be humble and waiting on Him. I learned that everything in life was achieved by God....
◎ Student Chen...Through the elementary and intermediate levels of the Bible correspondence course, I get to know God and believe in Jesus Christ even more. Also experiencing further the joy from studying the Bible, I understood clearly how much God loves us. His love is omnipresent.