Prayer Requests by Request

Anyone who knows me well, knows how vitally important prayer is to me. It is one of the most natural and dearest of the spiritual disciplines for me… it is sweet communion with my Father, it is the umbilical cord that sustains and strengthens me, it is one of the deepest acts of worship, fellowship, praise, service, and love (among other things). My life simply cannot exist without it and I wouldn’t want it to. Further, it is my abundant joy to regularly lift up people and situations to our Father. He alone is worthy of our praise and devotion and He alone is able to affect change. From time to time people will ask me how they can pray for me and I am always overjoyed to share. Yet, I do not wish to be a burden, so I rarely share more than a slice of the spectrum (and let’s face it, most people don’t actually want more than a slice). However, sharing requests should not be burdensome and this format is a little different than a casual conversation wherein we are thinking of appointments we must make, chores and work that must be done, and the many other things that keep us constantly on the move. In light of this, I have decided to share a few things, a sampling of the spectrum so to speak. As in all of our lives, there is a lot going on in mine right now, yet, in truth, these are all minor things in the grand scheme. I say at the outset that I am abundantly blessed in that I do not have anything to share that is so pressing or so “huge” that I am in any way upset by it. Further, I very clearly recognize that there are countless millions that need prayer much more than I do and need prayer about infinitely more important things. Thus, please understand I am simply providing a “window” into what is going on in my life and ways people can pray for me if they should feel so led. Finally, although it should be obvious, please understand that this list has been put together “by request” so to speak; thus it not representative of my prayer life (what a selfish one it would be if that was the case). Thank you!


For the sake of simplicity, I have organized the list according to broad topics. Yet, in truth, these divisions are fairly arbitrary as they all overlap. I have also provided a little explanation in each to help you better understand the request. At the bottom, I will provide a skeleton version of this list so that it can be easily printed and used, yet without all the explanation.


Spiritual Needs

• Above all and in all, pray that the Lord would give me wisdom and discernment / understanding in all things. That He would help me to see situations and people from His perspective.
• Please also pray that the Lord would so consume me, that I disappear… as it should be!
• Pray that I would continue to live in His Spirit and not for myself. That He would truly be my all and that I would give Him pure, passionate devotion and not lip service.
• Please pray that I would be broken, laid open (naked and bare as a sacrifice is split open) before Him. That I would have a brokenness over and a hatred of sin.
  

Financial Needs

• I am quite blessed to have someone who is sponsoring my time here, so I would ask that you join me in praying for him and his family. Pray especially for their health. I am personally praying that the Lord would restore to them 7 fold all that they have done for me. Pray also that they would continue to do this out of joy and love. I am so very thankful for them.
• Please pray that the Lord would provide a way to pay off my student loans. I owe about $4400 from my undergrad. This is the entirety of my debt, but I hate debt and desire to see this lifted before the next phase of life begins. In my current situation, that is not possible. Though it is a lot to ask, I am praying that the Lord might raise up someone to help me with this. This is as nothing to God and even from my perspective there are certainly people who could do it if the Lord prompted them to. Thus, please pray that the Lord’s will would be done.
• Please also pray that the Lord would provide a way for me to have Lasik surgery. I wear glasses and am quite tired of them. I see this request from two basic perspectives. The first is stewardship: glasses are expensive and you have to keep replacing them over time… this adds up (and btw… it is past time for mine). The surgery is also expensive, but it seems to me it will clearly win out in the long run. The second is luxury: they are a constant hindrance at work and during activities such as working out. Quite often they fly off or are so covered in dust and sweat that I just can’t see anyway. To be perfectly blunt, they are just annoying. At the same time, I am very thankful to live in a place and time where they are even available… believe me, I do recognize this!
• Please pray that my car would continue to run well. The bottom line is that if anything major happens with it, I will not be able to afford to replace it and I will be prevented from working to help replace it. I have been in that position many times before and the Lord always makes a way, so I am not worried, though I don’t want to be there again.
  
  

Down the Pike (near and distant future)

Please pray for discernment and provision for the summer.

• I am trying to figure out whether or not to try to go home and work, to stay here and take several classes that are being offered, or some combination thereof. Here’s the deal: though I haven’t talked with him thus far, I imagine my boss back home would allow me to return. I really and truly work for an amazing man and an amazing company. It is a job, boss, and company that I love and enjoy very, very much. I absolutely LOVE the work and truly enjoy going to work every day (there is something about hard work that is very refreshing). Further, I always have a great time of ministry there. On top of that, I can make a lot of money with that company. This option is especially tempting given the above financial issues. Yet, there are three classes that are being offered this summer that I would be able to take if I stayed. This would lighten the load of my final academic year here, allowing me time for other things such as dating, GRE / PhD prep, talking to churches, etc - as the Lord leads. I would also like to try to study and then exempt a Greek class this summer so that I can take a more advanced Greek class during the regular semester. If I do not exempt, I will not be able to take the advanced class at all. Further, I love my life here and don’t want to leave my friends and church family. Yet staying means being in a VERY weak financial position.
• Please pray for discernment and provision for the future immediately after graduation (next May Lord willing). I do not know as of yet if the Lord would have me continue educationally or go right into ministry. If PhD work, please pray especially for provision and also that I would be directed to the proper program and school (and of course that I would be accepted). If ministry, please pray that the Lord would direct my steps to the place He has ordained for me to serve and that I would be able to do so faithfully.
  

Of a Personal Nature


A Relationship

• As I have shared in the recent past, I am finally ready for a relationship with the right young woman. Please pray for me to have wisdom and discernment in seeking her. Please pray that the Lord would bring her into my life soon. I understand that His timing is perfect, so I am not upset. Even still, I do hope it is soon.
• Pray especially that my eyes would be open. I have been so long in the posture of not looking, that not seeing has to some degree become a matter of habit.
• Pray above all that she and I would be directed by the Lord and not ourselves. Pray that we wouldn’t play games, but that we would seek the Lord’s will and do it, no matter what and that there would be knowledge, not confusion, that walls would not be put up and that transparency would be present.
• Pray that I would not settle out of weakness, but that I would not be expecting perfection either (I really feel pretty strong in this respect, but I am human).
• Pray for opportunities to meet young women as that seems to be my greatest challenge. Also, pray that these opportunities would allow me to see who the young woman is. Because knowing something of her character is necessary for me to have genuine interest, the process can be excruciatingly slow (despite the fact that God has blessed me with a measure of discernment).
• Pray that I honor the Lord in the way that I deal with any young woman that comes into my life and that I would bring help and healing to her (not harm). Pray that I would be able to point her to Christ, even if that particular young woman and I are not to be.
• Pray that when the right one does appear, that we would see and be delighted by each other. Please also pray that the Lord would lead, guide, comfort, and heal her even now and be preparing us for each other.
  

Again, I only provide this for those that are truly interested in lifting me up to the Father (specifically those that have asked). Please do not feel obligated to say or do anything, especially not to promise to pray for me. I would rather a thousand people pray for me and zero let me know than for a lot of people to promise to pray and never actually do it. Thank you so much!

Oh, and as always, please let me know if I can pray for you in any way. You can talk, email, post, or call, whatever you are comfortable with. Blessings in Christ!

In Christ,

Aaron Hawk
John 3:30; Prov 16.9

Skeleton Version of the Prayer Requests

Spiritual

• That I would be completely, totally, and only for Christ.
• That the Lord would give me wisdom, understanding, and His perspective in all that I encounter in life.

Financial

• For my sponsor’s health and family
• Student Loans
• Lasik surgery
• Transportation to hold up

Future

• Wisdom and discernment concerning school and work for this summer
• Wisdom and discernment concerning post-graduation plans

Personal

• That my eyes would be open according to the Lord’s will
• That the Lord would move and work in brining my future beloved into my life, preferably soon
• That the Lord would be preparing my future beloved and me for each other.

Urgent Prayer Needed

Well, I find myself asking you guys for prayer once again. Some of you may remember my Facebook post about my dad a while back and some of you may already know the situation. However, for most of you, this will be new. I will provide minimal background as to post the details would probably harm a number of people, including family. Different people heal differently and some things just can’t be discussed in such an open manner. Though I myself have zero problems discussing the most detailed and dirty aspects of my life, in this case, it involves the private and close-to-the-heart issues of other people’s lives. Thus, wisdom demands that I keep silent on those things; though I would much rather share the full gloriousness of what Christ has done in my life.

The minimal background is that my dad has done some of the most despicable things imaginable. He lives in a world of self-deception so dark and twisted that he no longer has a point of reference for reality. As he once advised me, the only way to be a successful liar is to, at least partially, believe the lie yourself. The problem is that when these lines are crossed, “North” no longer exists. For him, it is a coping mechanism to deal with guilt.

Unfortunately for him, he grew up around the church, rejecting and becoming numb to the Gospel. He knows the text of the Bible better than many Christians and has enough intellect left (after much alcohol) to debate fairly well. My point is that he has convinced himself that he is a Christian. Well-meaning, but spineless Christians have catered to him. Others are simply ignorant of the scriptures, which declare that if we claim to have fellowship with Christ, yet walk in darkness, we are liars (1 John 1.6); for what fellowship hath light with darkness?! Anyway, I do not mean to go on about that, but some of you are bound say to yourself, “man, this guy is claiming to know the condition of another man’s heart… how arrogant!” Yet, in that, you judge me and discount many of the New Testament teachings. Thus, I have included this info.

My point is that I have been witnessing to my dad for about five years now, VERY strongly for the last year or so. He called me for (I believe) the first time since eighth grade a while back, in the middle of a crisis (this is major!). Since then, he and I have spoken several times. In our last conversation, he requested that I visit him this summer (I can’t tell you how odd this is). With my schedule, that would mean that I would make the visit the week of July 30. It also means that I would be missing about a week of work, which means losing around $800-$1000, which is not something I can afford; yet what is that compared to the value of a person’s soul?! Thus, my bank account may demand the work, but Forever demands a faithful witness to a truly lost sheep. If not then, perhaps on the first break from school.
I am asking that you guys would please pray for wisdom, discernment, and ultimately a move of the Spirit of Christ. My dad could have one of the most incredible testimonies I’ve ever heard, if only he would come to Christ instead of falsely trusting in fire-insurance.

Calling all Prayer Warriors

I am in desperate need for prayer. I am under MAJOR spiritual attack. I can’t go into too many specifics, but will give a few below. I am under attack from every perceivable angle and am not sure whether the bullets are flying from without or within. Every possible area of my life is being attacked right now, including the most important one (aside from the obvious), my relationships with a few key people. There have been a number of misunderstandings and I’m not sure whose perceptions are altered, or both. Please pray in general, but especially for my perception. I am not sure if the attacks are all external, or if I may be self-deceived in some way and causing some of them myself. Any time that someone is on the move for Christ, Satan and the powers of darkness attack. That is true and trustworthy, but is it because I’m on the move, or am I the cause of my own downfall / troubles?! I have focused mostly on the latter part, but the other areas are under just as much attack, please pray for me, especially over this weekend as I am dedicating it to this issue.

Thanks! Love in Christ!

A Broken Down Truck and Jesus

Hey, it is going to take me a little bit to set this one up and it may seem like pointless rambling, but PLEASE bear through til the end… God is SO good!



Well… as some of you know (and many of you don’t), I am back in SC for the summer working for my old company Palmetto Residential Electric. I love this job and especially this company. God is SO good to have given me such a wonderful, Christian boss. It is also SO good to come back after a year and a half of working elsewhere and be received with (literal) open arms and still held in the same respect (or better) as you left with (at least from those that are still there, the other don’t know me). Simply being able to be “acknowledged as” and “held in esteem as” an electrician is refreshing. I know that I know my stuff, but in KY that doesn’t matter unless you are a part of the “good ole boy” system… but that is a rant for another day :) Anyway, on I ramble… One of the great blessings of coming home (and the purpose for the above rabbit chase) is that my boss ALWAYS makes sure that I have a truck right away. We drive these company trucks home and to the job site, which means that we don’t pay gas or have to worry about nail-holes in our tires.

Now to get to the point of this whole fist section… I have been driving back and forth from Charleston to the Hilton Head, SC / Savannah GA area where my company has a new shop (and thus needs help). So, I’ve been driving “my truck” up and down the highways. The other day I was bragging that though that truck is one of the worst on gas, it is one of the best trucks mechanically… that it had served well for a long time and was still running strong.

Well… as you may have guessed, we broke down. It was Friday and I had a helper with me and we were heading back to Charleston (under time constraints) in order to be able to pick up our paychecks before the weekend. Now, for the record, this truck has been reliable mechanically, but other things (such as the a/c, the gas gauge and so on, quit working some time ago - and also BTW, I don’t know what it is with me and vehicles that don’t have air!). That said, I have to keep track of the mileage in order to know when to fill up. I usually fill up at 350 and the trip meter was as 289. As we passed a gas station (it was the grace of God that this happened at the only gas station within about an hour and a half), the truck started revving down and we coasted to a stop. I thought it was way too early for gas, but walked to the gas station and got a gallon… still wouldn’t start. Anyway, to skip the details I have been told I include way too much, it would have been a three hour wait (at least) to be towed or picked up. Yet, God is faithful and another mechanic was heading our way (also to go back to Charleston). Thus, he picked us up and we were on our way.

Now, you may be wondering why I’m boring you with all of this stuff… Ok, I could tell you about being a witness in the way that I handled everything and so on, and it is true. However, the long ride back provided some interesting conversation. I listened and tried to be interested as they talked of Mexican dancing bars and drinking and so on, and once in a while chimed in where it was appropriate (such as dancing – thanks Bryant). We dropped off the helper and went to the shop, loaded some wire, and so on. Then, he started asking me about myself (since he had started since I left) and about school (yes, we (seminarians) all know this awkward moment as we wait to see how they will react). He then started asking me all kinds of questions from Christian history to sin issues. I was so excited and surprised. Yes, I know I shouldn’t have been surprised, but rarely does the Lord “hand me someone on a silver platter” that way (hah!, take that Herodias!!!). Anyway, we probably sat in that truck for about 2 hours and he was SO close… he was peering into the pool, but just not quite willing to jump in. He was hung up where so many are, thinking that he must first clean up his life and then come to Jesus. He had no problem admitting that he was sinful and that he didn’t follow Jesus, per se (though he didn’t want to seem worse than anyone else). He felt that Jesus was real and that he was probably the answer, but he wasn’t sure if he could “give up” the “guilty pleasures” in life. There was the bottom line. The beautiful thing to this is that he realizes that there is obligation and duty (which is something that we Christians could sometimes learn from), that commitment is required. I commended him on this understanding and then discussed that coming to Christ is a matter of coming “as is” and that Christ through the Holy Spirit would change his desires… that it is no longer “I can’t,” but “I no longer desire.” Another really exciting thing from this conversation is that he can remember specific times (well, at least one OTHER specific time) that he KNEW the Spirit of God was reaching out to him!!! Folks, that was his terminology, not mine… he actually reached out his hand, emulating the way he felt God calling him. Though I didn’t shrink from the truth, I did not end this conversation with a specific challenge, something some may scold me for, as I felt that the Spirit was working on him and, at least for the moment, it was better to leave it there. I just gave him a general challenge and encouraged him to continue to meditate upon these things and to listen to the Spirit. He thanked me for being willing to talk with him and answer questions and not just “get in his face and tell him he was going to hell” (though, again, I did discuss hell and the destiny of all who are not in Christ, just not in a judging manner). I thanked him for the conversation and assured him that he was not bothering me (he was genuinely worried that I would be annoyed by all the questions), and that I LIVED for conversations like this. We parted ways, committing to talk again (but by this time it was late and we were both very tired).

So, what’s my point in this post… am I going to write about every single witnessing encounter? Well, the answer is no, I am not going to write about all of them. My point is two-fold. My first point is that this is the first full gospel presentation (note: not full-gospel :) I have had the privilege of being a part of since being back home. That said, my true first point is to ask you guys to pray for Craig as the Spirit is mightily at work in him right now and for me as I seek to be a wise and willing signpost. My second point is to bring the ministry here to your mind with a real example and ask you to pray for more opportunities and for spiritual fruit.

May the Lord reap in His harvest and may I be a faithful laborer!