In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; Jesus has overcome the world! (John 16:33)
As a ministry, we’ve been considering Jesus’s overcoming of the world through the perspective of Revelation in a four-week read-through of the book. For almost two thousand years, this apocalypse has helped readers look beyond their present tumults and see Jesus—unshaken, overcoming, and worthy beyond description. The book’s imagery can be so foreign to us and difficult to piece together, but the main message comes through loud and clear: Jesus saves and Jesus wins. We concur with the great multitude that cries out,
“Hallelujah!
Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
...
Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God
the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult
and give him the glory.” (19:1, 6-7).
I can’t wait for next Sunday night to read the consummation of the book and to read about the consummation of all things. “Come, Lord Jesus!” (22:20)
We are nearing the end of week four of the winter quarter, which feels much the same as the fall quarter. On January 9th, only two days before the first classes of the quarter on Jan 11, Stanford announced that freshmen and sophomores who were headed back to campus would no longer be able to do so. Many were left scrambling for new plans and new accommodations. Some stayed home, while others banded together in small groups at Airbnbs and the like. Please pray that God will turn the difficult situations to good for these freshmen and sophomores.
Tragically, one of our students lost his grandmother to COVID during the first week of the quarter. She was a stalwart of the faith and a rock of this student’s family. We praise God for her legacy but mourn for this family and the premature loss of someone so precious. Please pray for much grace for this family and that they would keep their eyes on Christ, as she was always exhorting them.
God is stirring some students to brainstorm ways to compellingly engage different pockets of the Stanford community with the good news of Jesus. Please pray for these students, that God would show them the way forward, stir up more for this paramount work, and bring salvation to many. “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:10)
So grateful to God for your partnership.
Warmly,
Justin Woyak
Senior Ministry Fellow
Christian Union Caritas
Please note: if you would like to receive regular updates on how to pray for Christian Union's work, please email prayer@christianunion.org.
