Rope Holders

I recently finished a book called “When I Lay My Isaac Down: Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances,” by Carol Kent.  It  is an excellent book if you are looking for a new book to read.  This woman pours out her heart as she shares her journey of trusting God and having faith as her only son murders someone and is put in prison.  This book spoke to me in so many ways but I only want to talk about one little portion of it that she mentions.  As her family went through this long ordeal she talked about all the people who prayed for them .  She compared her prayer partners to the rope holders who help someone climbing a mountain.  Below is a summary of what she said:

"Before you are allowed to start climbing, they teach you how to be a “rope holder” for another climber, providing a lifeline, if needed.  When you see a climber going up or down a mountain face, you usually see the rope tied around his/her waist, but what you often don’t see is the person at the end of that rope.  That person who holds your rope while you are climbing, literally has your life in their hands if something should happen while you are climbing.  Sometimes as Christians we can feel so weak, exhausted, and immobilized with personal pain that we can have difficulty praying, communicating with people, or holding our own heads up. But God has a plan for His broken people—and that plan is for the body of Christ to be their rope holders.  They speak up with confident prayers when we cannot move our lips.  They allow us to cry, vent our naked feelings, or they mourn with us in solitude.  Rope holders stay on the mountain even when they are exhausted in order to provide a safety net.  Paul’s admonition to the early Christians: “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”

As we serve as your missionaries here in Zambia we realize that we have a multitude of rope holders each day, holding on to our ropes and providing a safety net of prayer.  As we continue to climb the mountain that God has for us, we hope that you will continue to stay in place as our “rope holder.” You are so important.  If no one is holding our rope, we our unprotected and in danger of attack from the enemy.  If you are a “rope holder” for us or anyone else in your life  I just want to say thank you!  As I looked for a picture to add to this I couldn't find any of the "rope holder" just the climber.  I'm not a real mountain climber but I would think that the "rope holder" is the most important to have around.  So, I'm guessing that sometimes you may feel unimportant and overlooked as a "rope holder."  This is probably the most important job that you have!  Don't listen to the enemy tell you that what you are doing is not making a difference.  Everyone needs a "rope holder!"