Ministry Update: Robert Knuth -- Two Announcements!

"Then the king said to me, "What are you requesting?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said to the king, "If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.'...And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of God was upon me."
-Nehemiah 2:4-5, 8b

"And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night." -Nehemiah 4:9

Confession: this is not my idea.

A special thanks needs to be made to Peter Green, RUF campus minister at West Virginia University. What you are about to read is what he sent to his supporters, and I find it so appropriate and needed that I plan to literally quote him. He writes,

"The book of Nehemiah probably has more recorded prayers than any book in the Bible except for Psalms. In thirteen chapters, there are eleven prayers. Some prayers are long and thoughtful, surveying wide swaths of the history of God's dealings with his people (e.g. Neh 1:4-11 and 9:6-37). Other prayers are short and to the point, addressing a single request in an immediate situation (e.g., 6:9). 

Most of the prayers in Nehemiah are interjected into Nehemiah's written record of events--the prayers of an old man as he recounts events of the past. However, in 2:4-5 and 4:9 the prayers are not interjections into the story but are part of the story--the prayers of a man of action in the midst of difficult situations. These two prayers teach us the value and importance of pausing what we are doing, even if just for a moment, to pray for God's help. 

Sometimes God provides us with unexpected opportunities that we need to take advantage of immediately, like Nehemiah's request to the king in ch. 2. Other times we face an unexpected crisis that does not allow for lengthy prayer time as in ch. 4.

In these situations, it is easy to get wrapped up in the moment and forget or neglect to pray. Nehemiah teaches us that in these situations it is important to pray, however briefly, and God can answer even a single-sentence prayer given in haste.

Campus ministry has similar opportunities and challenges--an unexpected meeting with an unbelieving student, or a late-night call from a student in crisis. Therefore, I'd like to experiment with what I am calling my "Nehemiah Prayer [Team]."

Modeled after Nehemiah's short, direct prayers that he gave in the midst of his work, this prayer team would be composed of people willing to receive a text from me with a specific request and pause what they are doing, if they are able, to say a one or two sentence prayer. Here are some example texts:

"About to sit down with an unbelieving student--please pray that the student would receive the Gospel." 

"Just learned that my student's parents were in a car accident and things don't look good--pray for me as I seek to provide comfort to the student." 

If you are willing to be a part of my Nehemiah Prayer [Team], please text me right now (757-971-1501) with your name (in case I don't have your number in my contacts) and "Nehemiah." Except in extreme situations, I will send no more than one or two texts per week, between the hours of 9 am-9 pm EST." 

Maybe it's entering my 5th year as a campus minister, and experiencing the vain labor of my own endeavors apart from prayer. Maybe it's my wife's cancer diagnosis, and realizing there's nothing I can do in my own power to fix it. Whatever it is, I'm realizing that I need y'all--desperately--to be praying to the Lord of Heaven who hears our prayers. 

As a guy who struggles to send out consistent newsletters, I hope you consider joining our Nehemiah Prayer Team with up-to-date, in the moment, ministry need that you can pray for and be apart of as they happen!

In Christ alone,

Robert

Katherine is cancer free!

So many of y'all have thoughtfully prayed and texted me over the past month. I can't thank you enough for your support. It means more than you know to be surrounded by the love and care of God's people. Here's a quick update on where things are with Katherine:

• She had surgery this past Monday (6/19) to remove the tumor. Recovery has been physically and emotionally difficult, but we are confident as she enters week two of getting better, things will begin to turn a corner.
• The pathology report came back late Thursday afternoon with the best news ever: the surgery successfully removed all cancer before it spread to her lymph nodes. Praise the Lord! 
• What does that mean? After she recovers (another three to four weeks), she will NOT need to receive chemotherapy or radiation treatment. 

Obviously, we are feeling so grateful. Our family is looking forward to getting Katherine back on her feet and entering into a more "normal" season, Lord willing.