Faith To Be Strong

The following is reprinted from our April 2004 newsletter:

“Faith To Be Strong” by Andrew Peterson

Give us faith to be strong, Father we are so weak,

Our bodies are fragile and weary

And as we stagger and stumble to walk where You lead,

Give us faith to be strong

Chorus

Give us faith to be strong, give us strength to be faithful,

Cause life is not long, but it’s hard

Give us grace to go on, make us willing and able,

Lord, give us faith to be strong

Give us peace when we’re torn, mend us up when we break,

Cause flesh can be wounded and shaky

When there’s much too much trouble for one heart to take,

Give us peace when we’re torn

Give us hearts to find hope, Father we cannot see

How the sorrow we feel can bring freedom

And as hard as we try Lord it’s hard to believe

So give us hearts to find hope

This song “happened” to be playing this past November when we were in Globe wrestling with God’s plan for our lives.  It quickly became our battle cry as we staggered and stumbled to walk where God was leading.  As we left family behind in the Midwest and dropped my parents off at the Phoenix airport after they helped us move down, this song became our cry of surrender (through many tears) as we were torn between family and the call of God.  Now as we have spent two weeks on the reservation it has become our plea of intercession on behalf of a nation so hopeless.   We do not completely understand the sorrow we see in our brothers’ eyes, but we do know the only one who can mend their brokenness.  Lord, give us faith to be strong!

The following is reprinted from our April 2007 newsletter:

Three years later this song has continued to be our prayer as we strive for faithfulness.  Over the past three years we have experienced incredible victories and some heartbreaking defeats.  We have watched kids suffer from the choices their parents were making and we have watched kids suffer from choices they were making.  We have walked alongside our Apache brothers and sisters on the mountaintops and we have walked with them through the valleys.  We have really seen that life is not long, but it’s hard.  But through it all, God continues to lead us, give us peace and give us the strength to continue.  We pray He gives us the grace to go on until He returns.  Thank you for your vital partnership in this journey.

Thoughts from 2011:

Almost one year ago 3:18 Ministries was officially incorporated.  It has been an incredible journey as we have found our way through new territory.  Through this process our focus has been on relationships.  Our hearts remain broken for the lost and hurting on the San Carlos Apache Reservation.  Our hearts break for a 10 year old boy who is so lost, angry and confused that he was threatening suicide this past week.  Our hearts break for a 13 year old girl who was at the emergency room alone because there is no sober adult to take care of her.  Our hearts break for a 22 year old who had so much promise and was making a difference on his reservation and now his life is gone.  We are so weak.  We are staggering and stumbling to walk where He leads.  Our biggest prayer is for our hearts to find hope so we can share Hope with our dear brothers and sisters.  Please Lord, give us faith to be strong.

-tory