Newborn Hope

April 23, 2014

By Brad Reynolds

Brad and Tina Reynolds, Alliance workers serving in France since 1988, believe God desires Eglise Protestante Internationale (EPI), the French-speaking international church plant in Léguevin, France, to be “a house of prayer.” An EPI family’s recent crisis prompted a revival in prayer among church members.

Since the evening little Maxime’s situation brought us to our knees, our Wednesday night prayer meetings continue to grow. Not only is attendance increasing but also the participation in prayer. It is amazing how God can use a difficult situation to bring great blessing.

Maxime was born prematurely to Felana and Bruno, who are part of our leadership team. Bruno is the youth leader and Felana, who remained in the hospital for several days, is a reader for the audio Bible team. When they needed their church family’s help, the congregation came alongside them in intercession.

For three weeks, we prayed for the family, rejoicing with every positive report about Maxime’s progress. As we gathered one Sunday to worship, spontaneous applause broke out when Felana and Bruno arrived to tell us how God had answered our prayers.

While in the hospital, a nurse told Felana that babies who decline as Maxime did in the beginning usually do not survive and that his improvement was a miracle. Maxime’s parents plan to bring him to church the first Sunday in May.

Revival

Answers to prayers for Maxime have resulted in a prayer revival among the congregation. On a recent Wednesday evening, the room was full with people eager to pray. We believe that the important lessons God desires to teach us through the experience of Maxime and his family are still to be realized.

Our desire at EPI is for faith to rise through prayer as our members encounter God, who desires to meet practical needs. After all, it was the result of His compassionate touch on a little baby and his mother that resulted in the revival we experience today.