It is encouraging to hear how God is at work in and through members of our church, even as we are all social distancing. Check out Priya Samuel’s story below.

The Lord has been gracious to provide us with a gorgeous spring during this time of lockdown. The boys and I have been taking advantage of this by going on bike rides on the nearby trails. On one such trail ride, the Lord impressed on my heart the need to “make the most of this lockdown for His glory.” In other words, to “not waste this trial.” We noticed more people using the trails and our rock ministry was born.

The boys were excited to get involved, so we spent a couple afternoons painting our first batch of rocks, with Scripture or statements about the Gospel. We then prayed for God to bless this ministry and to use this humble tool to shed light on weary hearts. On our next bike ride, we placed our rocks on the trail, praying over each one as we laid them down. Eli, my youngest son, prayed over one of his rocks which said, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” and placed it on the trail. On our return back home, we met a neighbor friend on the trail with that very rock in her hand.

To give you a little background, her family has been going through some very hard times with her husband being unemployed for nine months and her son recently diagnosed with health issues. I had already been ministering to her through encouragement and acts of love. When we saw her and her children on the trail, she showed us the rocks she found. She relayed to us that she was struggling with a deep sense of insecurity, not knowing who to trust during this difficult time, and a moment later she found Eli’s rock! Added to that precise word, to Trust the Lord, she was also touched by the fact that the rock was painted green, favorite color. She was deeply moved by this experience and said she was going to save the rock and remind herself of the words every time her heart grew weary. Her three children also found the rocks that talked about Jesus being the Light of the world and where Jesus invites those who are weary and heavy laden to come to Him.

We did not tell her that we made the rocks, but acknowledged that God was at work. I offered to pray and thanked God for giving her this word. I continue to minister to her, pointing her always to the beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is our only hope in this world. This experience bolstered the boys’ faith in the power of prayer. The Lord was kind to give us this first hand experience of His ability to work in the hearts of people even through inanimate objects like rocks. This reminds me of Luke 19:40 where Jesus says, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.” To God be all glory, honor and praise!

Members on Mission: Priya Samuel