In Prayer with Scripture

In the Scriptures, Jesus worked closely with Mary and Martha, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Susanna, and others. There are moving stories of Anna the prophetess, the widow of Nain, and others that Luke records. Often, the “other” or “others” really captures the experiences of women in ministry. The Apostle Paul, who is the center in the second half of the Book of Acts, also included many women in his ministry. From Priscilla (teacher to Apollos) to Euodia and Syntyche, Julia to Tryphosa, Phoebe, Junia, Chloe, and many others, these women continue the lineage of Miriam, Deborah, Ruth, and Esther. I am inspired by these women in the Word of God. I imagine them to be deeply connected in prayer.  

I came to know Jesus Christ through my mother. She and I would read Scripture, together, in Korean and then, we prayed deeply, experiencing God’s presence through the Holy Spirit. She nurtured my faith in my earliest years. Today, as I look back on those young days across my time of dating (Pastor Ahn), getting married, having and rearing three children from pre-school to college and beyond, I have been blessed as a wife, mom, a daughter, but more so, as a beloved daughter of God. Our God has been immensely gracious and good to my family. I am without words. All I can say is, by the grace of God. I profess, “Thank you, Jesus.” At every turn, from every bottle, to first steps to graduations, being a mom, a pastor’s wife, and loving and praying for each person in need, have been a source of joy, a deeply humbling, and rewarding private moments in my faith journey.    

I have traveled and lived in so many places because of Pastor Ahn’s calling, at times, I lost track of where home was. I now say, home is where we say and believe home is to be. Home is here, being a homemaker, caring for my family, which includes my church family. This is my calling. In fact, every home we have had resulted from and through prayer. Pastor Ahn calls me a “domestic engineer” but by and large, I have been a woman of God before anything else. I want to encourage all women to discover their spirituality from within, to create a lasting relationship with Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit. It starts with the very Word that lights our path with and in prayer, daily, for your family, loved ones, and your spiritual needs, as a woman of God. I truly believe in the power of prayer. But that power of prayer has to be shrouded in and through Scripture. My QT with God has been consistent since my teenage years to present. I love the Psalms because so many of them are prayers during different needs. From time to time, when I need clarification on other books of the Bible, I go down to Pastor’s Ahn’s study for a commentary, but then, I realize that he’s also a walking commentator of Scripture. When we used to date, we spoke so much about Scripture, that kept us close. I continue to meditate on God’s Word and early in the morning hours, you will discover both of us praying on our knees, separately, but within an arm’s length. Then, we go our separate ways for our respective morning devotionals. The day begins. It ends in the evening, with me, reading a book then praying. How and what may I pray for you and your family?