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Whats the cry of your heart? Is it wisdom for raising your children? A better marriage? Relief from a
chronic illness? Someone to fill a lonely void in your life?
Each of us has some kind of burden on our heart. And its right
to cry out to God for these situations. But I want to challenge you
to cry out for something even biggerto cry out for the kingdom
of God.
Throughout 2016, Revive Our Hearts is calling women to cry
out for the greatest need of this generationa visitation of Gods
presence and an outpouring of His Spirit in genuine revival and
spiritual awakening. Throughout history, the Lord has used
prayerful women to advance His eternal kingdom purposes, and
today we are asking Him to do that again!
As part of this call, were setting aside an entire evening of the
True Woman 16 Conference for the purpose of coming together
in prayer before the Lord. Cry Out! A Nationwide Prayer
Event for Women is a three-hour simulcast solemn assembly
where well earnestly cry out to the Lord for mercy and grace in
these critical days.
My burden throughout this year is to call women to pray for
our homes, our churches, our nation, and our world for such a
time as thisto see God maximize the opportunities before us
and spread the fame of His Name. I hope youll join with us this
September, in Indianapolis or via the simulcast, as we gather as
women to earnestly seek the Lord together.
Its my prayer that in these days filled with turmoil and evil, we
would be filled with the Spirit and fulfill what God has left us on
this earth to dopoint men and women to Jesus. Would you cry
out to Him with us?
Seeking Him with you,
Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
Spring 2016 Newsletter
We are praying for hundreds of thousands of women to come together in thousands of locations that evening, lifting our heart cries to Him.
Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name.Your kingdom come,your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread,and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.Matthew 6:913
A PrayerThat Contains It All
by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth
2 ReviveOurHearts.com
I t seems that most of us struggle with the spiritual discipline of prayer. we feel guilty because we know
we should be praying more than we do. and prayer is some-
thing we dont always understand. why does god sometimes
answer prayer and sometimes seem not to? if god is sover-
eign and determines the outcome of everything in the uni-
verse, why should we even pray?
I have to confess that prayer has always been a difficult area of
my spiritual life. I have found much help through study and medita-
tion on the Lords Prayerthe one Jesus used to teach His disciples
how to pray.
This prayer is familiar to most of us. Even many people who
have no claim to a relationship with Christ can recite it. No matter
how frequently you may have repeated it, I would encourage you
to take a fresh look at this familiar passageto think about it while
youre praying; to meditate on it phrase by phrase, word by word,
asking God to weave it into the fabric of your life.
A Model for Our Prayers . . . and Our LivesThe Lords Prayer is actually found twice in the New Testa-
ment. Matthew 6 is the one were most familiar with, but theres
another version in Luke 11. And because Jesus gave this prayer a
little differently each time, it shows He didnt intend us to just use
it as a rote prayer. Theres nothing wrong with reciting this prayer,
but I believe Jesus intended us to use it as a modela templatefor
our prayers.
The Lords Prayer is simple, short, and to the point. Just sixty-
five words if you include the doxology at the end, with no one re-
quest more than ten words long. This prayer is comprehensive.
Almost any petition we can think of will fit into this framework.
In this entire prayer, we find six petitions. Theyre broken into
two sets of three. The first set includes three petitions about God
and His glory. Its all about GodHis name, His kingdom, His will.
In the second half, there are three more petitions. This time
theyre about the needs of the family of God. These three petitions
cover every possible situation. They cover our present, past, and
future circumstances. And they teach us to pray for provision, for
pardon, and for protection.
As we gain deeper insight into the Lords Prayer, we realize its
more than just a way to pray; Jesus is teaching us the way to live.
Its a way to think. Its intended to be the way we live our whole
lives.
Encouragement for Troubled TimesGod has often used this prayer as a means of grace to minis-
ter to His children in times of distress and need. One particular
story involves a young pastor and well-known Lutheran theologian
named Helmut Thielicke who lived in Stuttgart, Germany during
World War II. During the final days of the war, his congregation
was in upheaval. These were horribly trying times for this little flock
of believers. The bombs were falling day and night. The Third Reich
was crumbling. The Allied Forces were coming in and overcoming
the German resistance. The country was in chaos.
Pastor Thielicke looked into the eyes of his people week after
week and saw fear, terror, doubt, despair. These people desperately
needed hope. Was their country going to be wiped out? Were they
going to be wiped out? What was going to happen?
If youre the pastor, what do you say at a time like that? How
do you try and encourage these people? How do you prepare them
for what may lie ahead? Thielicke decided to preach a series of ser-
mons on the Lords Prayer. That series was ultimately translated
into English and published in the United States. In the introduction
to that book, Thielicke said, The Lords Prayer was able to contain
it all.
Were living in troubled times today. We dont currently have
bombs falling around us, but we all know that we live in dire times.
The world is self-destructing under the weight of sin and rebellion
against God. What do you say to people in times like these? How
do we prepare our own hearts for the disastrous times we may be
facing?
We dont know how to deal with these times. We dont know
how to deal with distress. God has given us His Spirit to intercede
for us (Rom. 8:26), but Hes also given us the Lords Prayer to direct
our praying. That pastor in Germany said that the Lords Prayer was
able to contain it all. This prayer does contain it all, and its a prayer
Jesus gave us that will help prepare us to face uncertain times.
Join Nancy August 1September 22 on
Revive Our Hearts as she dives deep into
The Lords Prayer.
3
by Dr. Russell Moore
If all we have to go on is what we see around us, we will become
scared and outraged, and our public witness will turn into an ongo-
ing temper tantrum designed to prove to ourselves and those who
dislike us that we are worth something. And in so doing we would
talk and act just like any other insecure movement: with sarcasm,
anger, and ridicule.
But we arent trying to bring everything back to the good old
days. We are the voice of the future, of the coming kingdom of God.
The message of the kingdom isnt, You kids, get off our lawn. The
message of the kingdom is, Make way for the coming of the Lord.
A gloomy view of culture leads to meanness. If we believe we
are on the losing side of history, we slide into the rage of those who
know their time is short. We have no reason to be fearful or sullen
or mean. Were not the losers of history. We are not slouching to-
ward Gomorrah; we are marching to Zion.
The worst thing that can possibly happen to us has already
happened, in Jesus at the cross. And the best thing that could hap-
pen to us has already happened; were alive in Christ, our future is
seated at the right hand of God, and Hes feeling just fine.
Dr. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics &
Religious Liberty Commission of the South-
ern Baptist Convention, will be speaking at
True Woman 16. The Wall Street Journal
has called him vigorous, cheerful, and fiercely articulate
while The Gospel Coalition has referred to him as one of
the most astute ethicists in contemporary evangelicalism.
Come hear him for yourself; register at TrueWoman16.com.
A s christians, our mission in a fallen world is to speak the gospel prophetically into every sphere of culture. but we also are commanded to speak truth with
love, to join our prophetic gospel of judgment and recon-
ciliation with kindness and compassion.
Because the spiritual powers of the universe are in war against
the Churchs mission, this is always difficult to do. But it can be
especially difficult when cultural change makes our gospel seem
strange, even offensive, to our neighbors. When we sense hostility
to our message and to ourselves from a lost world, our instinct can
be defensiveness and anger.
We may say things like, This country is spiritually in decline
or If God doesnt judge this country, He will have to apologize to
Sodom and Gomorrah. This kind of language feeds into a sort of
apocalypticism that feels invigorating, with a jolt of adrenaline like
a panic attack. But this hysteria is actually a betrayal of Christian-
ity itself, since it assumes that history is ultimately in the hands of
humanity.
What defuses this hysteria and defensiveness in our hearts is
faith. Our confidence in the promises of God are what give us the
reason and the strength to be kind in our mission as Christians.
Consider the example of Jesus, who showed compassion even
on the demons inside a possessed man when He gave them permis-
sion to enter a herd of pigs (Luke 8:31). Why? Jesus was not seek-
ing to redeem these spirits; the Bible says they are unredeemable,
not even included in the atonement of Christ (Heb. 2:16). Jesus
responded this way because He was not afraid. He was confident
in His Fathers mission for Him, and thus was free from the need,
rooted in insecurity, to constantly prove Himself.
RestingRemembering
OUR CALL TO KINDNESS
IN CONFIDENT HOPE;
4 ReviveOurHearts.com
But God does. And the struggles we face are our greatest opportunities to watch Him work!
Were asking God to draw hundreds of thousands of women together for such a time as this. Would you join us as we cry out to the only One powerful enough to bring about lasting change?
Random violence has become commonplace.
Terrorism is a daily threat.
Marriage is being redefined.
The political process doesnt offer enduring solutions.
If you wont be able to be there in person, consider participating from right where you are. Host a group at your church or in your home; join Cry Out! via the Simulcast; and earnestly seek the Lord on behalf of our families, churches, and nation.
Learn more atCRYOUT16.COM
A NATIONAL PRAYER EVENT FOR WOMEN | SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
A Call to Fall on Our Knees
As a young girl Mary had given her heart to Jesus, and
she shrank from nothing He asked of her. When she heard
about a new mission work in Africa, she longed to serve her
Lord there. Her answer to the many who questioned this
choice was that this was the post of danger and therefore
the post of honor. And so at age twenty-eight, she sailed for
Calabar, heartland of the slave trade.
Afraid that her departure would put too much strain on
her invalid mother and sole surviving sister, she sought her
mothers blessing. Her mothers faith-filled reply freed Mary
to follow their King: You are my child, given to me by God,
and I have given you back to Him. When He needs you and
where He sends you, there I would have you be. Mary never
saw her mother again this side of heaven.
A s i sat in my cozy study, sipping my tea and reading about mary slessor (18481915), i was keenly aware of how different
our lives were in comforts and culture. but my heart
beat with hers. we loved and served the same lord.
surely i have much to learn from her.
A Post of HonorBorn into a poor family in Aberdeen, Scotland, Marys
strong character was evident early on as she spent fourteen
years working twelve-hour days in a factory to help provide
for her mother and six siblings. But character doesnt ensure
greatness; using that strength to serve her King is what set
Mary apart. Unhappy experiences in her home life didnt
cripple her. Rather they prepared her for what lay ahead.
by Jani Ortlund
Mary Slessor of Calabar
The Great Mother of Calabar
6
A Message of Life in a Land of DeathMary went to a people who were superstitious and engaged
in dark customs. Her aim was to help the poor and oppressed
particularly the women, who were considered nothing more than
property. She begged God for guidance and help, writing home that
my one great consolation and rest is prayer.
She deliberately gave up everything for her Master and ac-
cepted the consequences without murmur or complaint. Every-
thing no matter how seemingly secular or small is Gods work for
the moment and worthy of our very best endeavor.
She settled into an area of constant warfare, slave markets,
cannibalism, and human sacrifice. If a chief died, his wives and
slaves would be killed or buried alive with him. If a man was in-
sulted, whole villages could be wiped out in revenge.
In a land of death, she brought a message of life. To people
governed by hellish cruelty, she taught love and kindness. And al-
ways, always, she spoke of her Savior, who was the answer to every
human need. She never kept score of her accomplishments. It
comes back to this. Christ sent me to preach the gospel, and He will
look after the results.
She won these people over by her sympathy, by entering into
their lives and appreciating their difficulties and temptations, act-
ing as a wise mother would. The fame of her goodness and her
moral and physical courage spread, and the people came to trust
her, appealing to this frail, fearless woman on their own customs
and laws. When asked how a woman could be of much help, she
replied, In measuring the womans power, you have evidently for-
gotten to take into account the womans God.
Ma Akamba, the Great MotherShe never married, though not for lack of a suitor. The mission
board asked Mary to break her engagement to another mission-
ary and she did, reasoning, We alter things for the good of our
children, and God does the same for us. But the loneliness and
isolation she lived with were not easy.
Mary Slessor loved all children. She was called Ma Akamba,
the Great Mother, and her house was a continual refuge for little
children. She nursed and cared for all who were brought to her,
sometimes able to pass them back to their parents, other times
comforting them on their way to heaven and then burying them in
the ever-extending cemetery plot behind her hut.
One practice she fought against was the superstitious killing
of all twins at birth, with their mother being sent off alone into the
jungle in disgrace. She had a mothers heart and rescued all she
could, often carrying them for miles on foot to obtain tins of milk
to feed them.
Mary was surrounded with death, disease, and darkness. If
my Savior had not been so close, I would have lost my reason. But
those children knew a mothers touch and voice, a mothers prayers
and passion. She was a true woman. Her children had a refugein
her and in her Savior.
Make Music EverywhereOne of the things I admire most about Mary is that she lived
until she died. I mean she really lived. She served nearly forty
years in Africa and stayed young in her enthusiasm, sympathy, and
humor all the way to the end. One coworker wrote, She seemed to
grow more wonderful the older and frailer she became.
Hers was a life of unselfishness, of dedicated, unwearied de-
votion to Christ. She wrote to a friend, Dont grow up a nervous
old maid! Gird yourself for the battle outside somewhere, and keep
your heart young. Give up your whole being to create music every-
where, in the light places and in the dark places, and your life will
make melody.
Where can you make melodies for Him today?
Just as Mary served with a mothers lovethough
without biological children of her ownmany of
you are also spiritual mothers who have tirelessly
poured yourselves out for others. From all of us at
Revive Our Hearts, wed like to wish you a belated
Happy Mothers
Day!
Mary Slessor is one of many who chose to live a
surrendered life for Christ. Read more inspiring
stories of 25 Women Who Impacted the World
for Christ on TrueWoman.com.
Spring 2016 7
Summer Begins . . .
Editorial: Paula Marsteller, Mindy Kroesche, Stacey Battenburg
Art Direction: Benjamin Hannah
Design: Brittany Wong
Photographers: Lightstock, Pex-els
Looking for bite-sized, daily encouragement right where you are? Follow us on:
facebook.com/ReviveOurHeartstwitter.com: @ReviveOurHeartspinterest.com/ReviveOurHeartsinstagram: @reviveourhearts
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, Copyright 2001, Crossway Bibles, esv.org. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Revive Our Hearts is an outreach of Life Action Ministries
PO Box 2000 Niles, MI 49120 ReviveOurHearts.com 800.569.5959
BEFORE THE
Before you know it, your summer vacation will begin. Youll be having fun with friends and family, soaking
up the sunshine.
But dont forget, Revive Our Hearts is possible thanks to the support of friends like you who believe in the
ministry and make it possible with their gifts.
In the summer, people get busy and donations to the ministry drop. But the need to call women to freedom,
fullness, and fruitfulness in Christ continues to be crucial.
Women like these two sisters serving as missionaries in the Middle East:
Listeners like these are on our mind as we close out the fiscal year on May 31. This is the time when we look
back, celebrating what God has done through Revive Our Hearts. Its also the time we look ahead, seeking
His direction for the new fiscal year.
Before the busyness of the summer begins, would you make a much-needed donation
to help Revive Our Hearts stay healthy through the summer months?
Thanks so much for your important role in making this ministry possible!
Full-time jobs and language learning commitments keep us from formally study-
ing how to teach the Word . . . but through the Revive Our Hearts podcast, we are
strengthened and encouraged biblically by women from around the world! Also,
Nancys teaching on prayer and devotion to the Lord are vital reminders to cling
to Him in the midst of spiritual warfare. We are so excited about how the Lord will
continue to use this ministry in our lives and in the lives of others!
ReviveOurHearts.com/DonateGive Today
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is an outreach of:
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2727 Niles-Buchanan Rd.
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Encouragement for Troubled Times
2016 Spring Newsletter Enclosed