DO/TS 308510/96

—Timely prayer request written by Peter

Dear Family,

1. God bless you! Thank you so much for sacrificing your time and strength to pray so faithfully for Mama and me. We need and depend on your prayers! I'd like to present a prayer request for Mama, along with more explanation from the Lord about her need for your prayers.

2. To begin with, we would like to reprint in this GN (below) the prayer request from Mama that was published in issue #6 of the Grapevine. As you may recall, that note from Mama included an excerpt of a message that the Lord had recently given in which He explains how desperately she needs your prayers. I've included one more paragraph from that prophecy that was not included in the original prayer request. I'll include below another message that the Lord gave recently for Mama, also on the subject of the importance of your prayers for her.

Reprint of Message from Mama that appeared in Grapevine #6:

Dearest Family,

3. Thanks to your fervent prayers for my health, I am now feeling much stronger, even though my period has continued for six weeks [over eight weeks now]. So, needless to say, this increased strength is a miracle. However, my eyes have been severely affected because of the prolonged bleeding, and are much more painful than before.

4. The Lord confirmed once again the importance of your prayers for me when He said, "You must pray for Maria. For though I hold her life in My hands, your prayers also hold her life in your hands‚ and these two work together and are dependent upon each other. For though she gives and gives, it requires a miracle for her to be re-strengthened and replenished, which comes through My answering your prayers. As you pray, I will keep her and strengthen her and do the miracle to give her strength.

5. "The more you pray, the more strength she will have, no matter how much she gives. You must feed her intravenously with your prayers. They must drop continuously into her veins, drop upon drop, prayer upon prayer, strength upon strength. With every drop of prayer, I will strengthen her moment by moment, minute by minute‚ and keep her and sustain her. But she must have your prayers to give back to her the life and strength that is depleted from her as she gives her life to you‚ for your prayers are what keep her giving and breathing and living."

6. So, dear ones, though I hate to be continually asking you to take your time to pray for me, it is part of the Lord's plan, so that we will all be strengthened. As your prayers release the Lord's power for me‚ I, in turn, can help Him to strengthen you through His life-giving Words. We're all in this together, and dependent upon each other, and most of all, on the Lord. So please keep praying not only for me, but for your King Peter, who also gives his life daily for you. Please also pray for our wonderful staff, all our faithful behind–the-scenes workers, as well as David and Techi.

7. From what we have heard‚ many of you have been tremendously helped and recommitted through David's allowing my personal letter to him to be printed in "The Road to Commitment" GN. We all very much admire him for this, as well as his obedience to do what the Lord has required of him. Of course‚ as the Lord said they would be, the battles are very strong, and the Enemy is fighting him very hard. So we know he would appreciate your continued prayers. Your prayers can do mighty things, and bring about wonderful changes for us and for you, so don't neglect them.—We need each one of them! Besides your obedience to the Lord, this is the most wonderful gift you can give us, and we feel so privileged to receive them. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Love, Mama

The Healing Balm of Your Prayers!

8. (Peter:) Below is another message from the Lord that was received recently when praying about whether there was anything more Mama should or should not be doing for her eyes. Following are excerpts of the Lord's precious Words of encouragement and instruction.

9. (Jesus speaking: ) Behold My darling queen in whom I delight. My law is in her heart, and My Word is on her lips, and My honey balm is upon her eyes. Honey balm will I pour in a never-ending flow, that My darling may keep her eyes fixed wholly on Me. Satan seeks to snuff out her eyesight, but he cannot, for My never-ending flow of balm keeps and protects her eyes that she may keep them fixed wholly on Me. And this balm is produced by the fervent prayers of My children for their queen.

10. Therefore, worry not about the remedies of man. Do not prepare man's chemicals and second-rate potions that serve only to fix one problem and create another. But care for your queen, wash her eyes daily with the healing balm of your prayers, and I will sustain her sight and soothe the soreness. For as the sweet perfume of your specific prayers for her eyes ascend upward, I catch them and prepare them into My healing salve that will sustain her.

11. From the sweet prayers of My children for the eyes of their queen, I prepare and pour out honey eye salve, and it keeps and preserves her sight for that which I will that she accomplish. Know that My salve will keep My beloved queen, as she fixes her eyes wholly on Me and on My Words, that she might feed and nourish her children.

12. Therefore apply My healing balm through your fervent, earnest prayers, and know that I am able to sustain the eyes of My darling. Satan is furious, and he fights and he seeks to snuff out her sight altogether. Therefore continue to care for her. Continue to apply My ointment with the applicator of prayer—fervent, flowing, steady prayers—and I will sustain her.

13. Children, children, forget not to apply the healing balm of My soothing salve to the eyes of your queen. Forget not to send up in a continual flow the incense of your prayers. (End of prophecy.)

Please Pray Daily for Mama!

14. (Peter: ) Dear Family, I want to put forth this special request for Mama asking that you please keep her eyes and health in your daily prayers, not only now, but also in the weeks and months to come. She desperately needs your prayers, as the Lord so vividly portrayed in the above messages. The steady loss of blood from her frequent extended periods weakens her considerably, which causes her eyes to be very painful. She has also been experiencing more headaches recently, and even though the headaches themselves are not severe, they have a very detrimental effect in that they cause her eyes to get even worse! So recently she has been experiencing a cycle of bleeding, headaches and eyestrain, which has caused her eyes to gradually become sorer and sorer to the point that she has difficulty opening them, even for the most essential tasks. Her eyes are now the worst they've ever been!

15. In spite of Mama's condition‚ she is always cheerful! And in spite of these battles for her health and strength, she continues on undaunted, a real trooper, serving you day after day. No matter how weak she feels, no matter how much her eyes pain her, she still steadily works‚ plowing through her pile of tapes each day, listening; praying; dictating; working on the GNs; listening to your reports, reactions and letters; writing personal letters to and requesting prayer for those of you who are struggling or are in difficult situations; dictating communication to other WS units and the CROs, and sometimes counseling for hours each day on the intercom with those who are working on pubs; having prayer and prophecy; and helping with the business and administration of the Family.

16. And just think, she does all this in spite of the draining effect of a constant irritating affliction. It's a testimony to the power and anointing of the Lord and the efficacy of the prayers of the Children of David!

17. Thank you so very much for your prayers for Mama and me. I just recently returned from a six-week round of intense meetings and appointments in the US, which were quite taxing. I very much appreciated your prayers for my travels and visitation, and ask that you please continue to pray for my strength and that I would now be able to get some much-needed rest and refilling in the Word. I don't have words to tell you how much Mama and I depend on your prayers and how grateful we are that you so lovingly take your time and strength to seek the Lord concerning our health and work! We are in your debt! God bless and keep you and supply all your needs.

Much love, Peter

A Time to Rest!

18. P.S. Below is a message from the Lord on the importance of rest. These are such busy days for you all, as many of you have recently been attending meetings, and you're now preparing for your Christmas outreach. The next two months will probably be the busiest time of the whole year for you! We completely understand how very difficult it is to find the time to rest, as we are all so totally involved in our exciting, wonderful work for the Lord, but it's very important, as the Lord explains below:

19. (Jesus speaking:) There is a time and a purpose under Heaven for all things: a time to work, a time to rest. A time to seek, a time to find. A time to pray, a time to play. For all is not work and all is not rest. All is not prayer and all is not play. I would that My children would rest when it is time to rest and recoup.

20. But it is so easy for them to say, "Nay, it is not possible, for the weight is too much. There is too much to do‚ too much work that has accumulated." But I say that if you will rest—rest in the flesh and rest in the spirit—I will give you the freshness that you need to do that which you must do. For one cannot work and work and work and never end. You must stop and rest.

21. When I show you to rest‚ then rest. Worry not about that which is ahead or that which is not being accomplished, for in your rest I can show you that which you must do to accomplish that which must be done. I can speak to you and you will hear Me clearly, for you will not have your mind cluttered with all that there is to do, and the worries and cares and affairs of this life.

22. When you take time away from your work and you rest in the flesh and rest in the spirit, you will receive clarity of mind and heart and spirit. You will receive clarity in your thinking, and renewal of your spirit, renewal of your flesh, renewal of your outlook. You will look upon your work in a new light and see that the things that you considered so heavy are no longer heavy, for you have renewed strength.

23. There is a time to work. There is a time to fight and to war. But have I not declared a day of rest? Have I not said that I give My children rest from their labors? And if I have said these things‚ then why do you not do them? For there is time to rest. There is a time to lay down your burden and to trust Me. And in resting and renewal shall your strength be renewed—your physical strength and your spiritual strength. Abuse not the temple of the Holy Spirit, which temple you are.

24. It is not enough to rest only in spirit—you must also rest your flesh. Your flesh houses your spirit‚ and when the flesh is weary and weak and under constant strain and stress, your spirit cannot do all that it should. For together they are one, and both must rest. The flesh must rest in sleep and in recreation. And the spirit must rest in prayer and with the infilling of My Word. In these two together you shall have all the rest that you need, that you may be strengthened and refreshed in Me. (End of prophecy.)

Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family