“’O Lord, I beseech You, may Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant and the prayer of Your servants who delight to revere Your name, and make Your servant successful today and grant him compassion before this man.’ Now I was the cupbearer to the king.” (Nehemiah 1:11)

Nehemiah’s prayer is a model for believers in so many ways, but let us find blessing today particularly in two regards. First, as we pray, we are seeking help and hearing from a God who cares for His people and is attentive to their needs. And two, we always come humbly, as ‘servants’ seeking graciousness on the part of the One we serve. May we find encouragement all the more in these next weeks as we enjoin with the heart of Nehemiah who prayed on behalf of his people, asking that God be attentive to his request. In similar fashion, let us intercede together for people and cares important and precious to us:

• For all of our AFLTS and AFLBS students as finals start on Wednesday, December 13. May the days of final exams be met with good memory and recall on the part of all students, and may their learning be applied both in head and in heart.
• For journey mercies as many of our students travel home during the break, and for all students to be met with an extra measure of God’s peace, mercy, and grace in this extended time away from campus and home with family, friends, and loved ones.
• For the upcoming J-Term and Mid-Winter Bible Conference scheduled for January 8-13. May students and facilitators alike be blessed with this time of teaching, encouragement, fellowship, and growth in the Word of God.
• For the new building committee and their three-year task of completing construction of both a gymnasium and a dormitory.
• For the persecuted church, that we always are mindful of the connection we have as part of the church universal through the blood of Christ. May we continually uphold these brothers and sisters that their faith remains strong, that God be glorified, and that their witness in the most difficult of circumstances brings conversion to those who persecute them.
• For our nation and our elected leaders at the local, state, and national levels. May these men and women be led of the Holy Spirit, those not knowing Christ coming to a place of repentance and faith, and those knowing Christ walking as light in a dark world.
• For our congregations as we celebrate the arrival of the First Coming of Jesus in humility and as we anticipate and look forward to His Second coming in glory and power. May the Prince of Peace live and reign in our hearts, our congregations, and our association!

On behalf of the Intercessor Team,
Pastor Kirk Flaa
Sioux Falls, SD