An Update from Pastor Marc

Dear Quail Family,

A Prayer in Isolation.

This season of physical distancing and self-isolation is abnormal and disconcerting for most of us. However, for some of us the difficulty is great. Family members in hospitals cannot be visited, neither can those in retirement facilities and nursing homes.  Also, the center of our social lives, our church fellowship is occurring virtually with our interaction taking place and chat boxes and through emoji’s.

Loneliness is uncomfortable, but this experience is amplifying that issue in unprecedented ways. 

While last Sunday our message was on how to minister in prayer to others, the question is raised, “How do we pray for ourselves in these times?”  I believe that such a prayer is found in Psalm 25:

Psalm 25:16-18, 20 (NIV)

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted. 

17 The troubles of my heart have multiplied; free me from my anguish. 

18 Look upon my affliction and my distress and take away all my sins…  

20 Guard my life and rescue me; let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you. 

David faced a lot of times of crisis in his life. He often felt alone and afflicted, so his prayer is a good prayer for us today. I express the basic request in that prayer, “turn to me and be gracious” and cling to the promises we hear from our Lord in the New Testament:

John 14:18

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” 

Matt 28:20

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." 

I am convinced this is a prayer that the Lord wants to answer with loving affirmation that He is near. Believer you are not alone, you are never alone. The most important and powerful being in the universe is with you and He comes with ample supply of mercy for your needs. 

If you are feeling blue and lonely today, pray David’s prayer and cling to these promises. The Lord will get us through!

Here are some updates that I think are important…

1. A hearty “thank you” to all of you who participated in the “Go lift up the healthcare workers” Go Project this week. They were blessed and encouraged by your efforts. Thank you to Pastor Grant and Pastor Randy for putting this together.
2. I encourage you to visit the website “stocktonstrong.org.”  There are many, and varied, resources available there. One such resource is a clickable instruction page in how to make an appointment to be tested for COVID 19 should you have symptoms.
3. Families remember that at 11am, after the virtual stream of the worship service, you can go to the Facebook page of Quail Lakes Baptist Kids and participate in the virtual Kids Church service with Mike and Sabina Tackett. Go ahead and join in the fun!
4. Thursday evenings you are invited to join in a Zoom based adult Bible study class led by Robin Gordon, our Director of Adult Ministries. She will be teaching on the “I Am’s” of Jesus.  Click here for the link to access the class
5. We are thankful for a couple of large donations this month; however, your week to week steady tithes are the way this ministry is sustained. You can give through our website QLBC.org, by clicking here or mail your donations to: QLBC, P.O. Box 7955, Stockton CA 95267. 

His and yours,
Dr. Marc Maffucci