Happy New Year from Palo Alto!
George Muller, the 19th century’s famous father of orphans and giant in prayer, wrote some profound words about the importance of our happiness in God and the role of God’s word in that pursuit. I can think of few more helpful ideas to commend to you in this new year! Muller writes,
Above all things see to it that your souls are happy in the Lord. Other things may press upon you, the Lord's work may even have urgent claims upon your attention, but I deliberately repeat, it is of supreme and paramount importance that you should seek above all things to have your souls truly happy in God Himself! Day by day seek to make this the most important business of your life. This has been my firm and settled condition for the last five and thirty years. For the first four years after my conversion I knew not its vast importance, but now after much experience I specially commend this point to the notice of my younger brethren and sisters in Christ: the secret of all true effectual service is joy in God, having experimental acquaintance and fellowship with God Himself.We pray that this year will be one of significant and steady increase in your knowledge of, love for, and happiness in God. Feed your soul regularly and thoroughly on the richness of God’s word, and it will be so!
But in what way shall we attain to this settled happiness of soul? How shall we learn to enjoy God? … I answer, This happiness is to be obtained through the study of the Holy Scriptures. God has therein revealed Himself unto us in the face of Jesus Christ.
Now in brotherly love and affection I would give a few hints to my younger fellow-believers as to the way in which to keep up spiritual enjoyment. It is absolutely needful in order that happiness in the Lord may continue, that the Scriptures be regularly read. These are God's appointed means for the nourishment of the inner man...Especially we should read regularly through the Scriptures, consecutively, and not pick out here and there a chapter. If we do, we remain spiritual dwarfs. I tell you so affectionately. For the first four years after my conversion I made no progress, because I neglected the Bible. But when I regularly read on through the whole with reference to my own heart and soul, I directly made progress. Then my peace and joy continued more and more. Now I have been doing this for 47 years. I have read through the whole Bible about 100 times and I always find it fresh when I begin again.
Would you also pray for us, that many in the Stanford community would have “experimental acquaintance and fellowship with God Himself” this year?
Please pray for the students in our ministry, that God, through his word, will be the foundation for their lives 2022! May they live not “by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4).
Please pray for students, staff, and faculty at Stanford who have not yet experienced the living God of the Bible, that they would hear the good news of Jesus and taste and see that he is so much better than anything this world has to offer. May many take refuge in him (Ps 34:8).
Please also pray for the variety of events we hope to host this year—bring-a-friend outreach nights once per month, our ski retreat, times of prayer and fasting to seek the Lord, and more. May God bless these efforts and draw us near to himself!
We thank God for you!
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.
