When Paul was in trouble, not only did he experience God's salvation, but he also experienced the help of brothers and sisters. Thank God, He has given us many brothers and sisters in the church, so we can help one another and work with one another. Paul clearly understood the truth of helping one another in Christ; When he was on the road to Damascus, a great light flashed around him. He fell to the ground and asked the two most important questions in life. The first one is "Who are you, Lord?" The second is "What shall I do, Lord?" When the Lord answered the first question, He said: "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting." However, God did not answer the second question, but said to him: "Go into Damascus. There you will be told all that you have been assigned to do. Then the Lord sent Ananias to Paul, to tell him what he is to do.
Why did the Lord himself not answer Paul's question, but chose to do so through Ananias? The main thing the Lord wanted Paul to learn was the principle of helping one another in Christ. If the Lord had answered Paul directly, Paul may never feel the need for other brothers and sisters. He may think "I can call upon the Lord directly, and be responsible to God myself." This may sound very spiritual, but is in fact very prideful.
Each one of us needs the help of others and we need to help one another in Christ. How should we do that? We start with prayer. Do not underestimate the power of prayer, God can use prayers to transform the hearts of men, and even change the fate of a country. We had prayed for many cancer patients in the church in the past. Although the Lord still took them away with him in the end, these patients were very different from others. When they were in the terminal stage of cancer, their faith in God remained strong. One could even say that they were at the height of their spiritual life right before they died, which encourages my heart deeply.
Praying and not praying does make a huge difference and those who have been prayed for are not the same. Praise the Lord, when we see the effects of our prayer, how can we not be grateful? When you hear others testify about how God answered their prayers, that is such a miracle. If you were never one of those who prayed for the person, you may find I hard to understand the testimony. However, if you had prayed for the person, you will shout, "Hallelujah!" Because you know that God heard your prayers, and you will naturally give thanks to God.
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