April Newsletter 2024 “God has spoken once, twice have I heard this: that power belongs to God. – Psalm 62:11 I have been reflecting on how God has been answering so many prayers our Lydia group has persistently prayed. Prayer releases the power of almighty God into our daily lives and the power of prayer connects us to the power of God. The power of prayer can move the hand of God. God can change an individual heart, free a person from bondage & torment, overturn disappointments and devastations, break the power of an addiction or heal a person’s emotions. The awesome, tremendous power of God – the greatest power in the universe – is released in our lives through simple, believing prayer. In May 2023, I sent out the word of encouragement below, which was given to Julie Marshall our Lydia Deputy NZ Co-ordinator, and I re-read it again today. “During one of our Lydia meetings I had a picture of a tunnel being dug through a mountain. The picture I had was like x-ray vision through the mountain from a bird’s eye view. The tunnel diggers had started on one side and dug to about halfway. Then they went to the other side of the mountain, and using careful calculations started digging towards the first part of the tunnel. The diggers were getting tired. They started to believe their calculations had been off and they had gone on the wrong angle and wouldn't connect with the other part to complete the tunnel. People were giving up and walking away. But their course was true, and they were so close! They were in danger of giving up right before the breakthrough and needed encouragement to keep digging. Our scripture that day was Hosea 6:1-3 Come let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces, but he will heal us; he has injured us, but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth. My sense was that there are Lydia women who have been praying strategically about specific issues for a long time, sometimes from more than one angle; and that there is an assignment of the enemy to discourage them and cause them to give up by making them believe that their prayer strategy has been wrong. But in fact, God has been leading them, their prayers are on target, and they are close to seeing breakthrough. To break through they need to "press on" in the current strategy as God has directed them.
I do hope this has uplifted and encouraged you to keep on pressing forward in prayer. Grace and Peace to you all in every season of life. Michelle McDonald – NZ & South Pacific Co Ordinator PS: Our Prayer for Israel is at 7 to7.45pm Thursday evenings on Zoom. We continue to pray & declare the promises of God for Israel & not the problems.
May God Bless you all in every season
The Lydia NZ National P & P Team & Trust Board Michelle, Julie, Barbara, Nancy, Beth & Lesley
