Dr. E. V. (Ed) Hill, long time pastor of Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles tells the dramatic story of how “Mama’s” love and prayers changed his life.
During the height of the Depression, Hill’s birth mother, who had five children of her own, did not have enough food to go around. So she sent four-year-old Ed to live with a friend in a small country town called Sweet Home. Ed called this friend, “Mama.”
As Hill was growing up in Sweet Home, Mama displayed remarkable faith which led her to have big plans for young Ed. Against nearly insurmountable obstacles, Mama helped Ed graduate from high school (the only student to graduate that year from the country school) and even insisted that he go to college. She took Ed to the bus station, handed him the ticket and five dollars and said, “Now, go off to Prairie View College, and Mama is going to be praying for you.” Hill claims that he didn’t know much about prayer, but he knew Mama did.
When Hill arrived at the college with a dollar and ninety cents in his pocket, they told him he needed eighty dollars in cash in order to register. Here’s how Hill describes what happened next:
“I got in line and the devil said to get out of line but I heard my Mama saying in my ear, ‘I’ll be praying for you.’ I stood in line on Mama’s prayer. Soon…I began to get nervous, but I stayed in line. Just about the time [the other student] got all of her stuff and turned away, Dr. Drew touched me on the shoulder, and asked, ‘Are you Ed Hill?’ I said, ‘Yes.’
“‘Are you Ed Hill from Sweet Home?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Have you paid yet?’ ‘Not quite.’ ‘We’ve been looking for you all this morning,’” [Dr. Drew said]. E.V. Hill asked, ‘Well, what do [you] want with me?’ Dr. Drew replied, ‘We have a four-year scholarship that will pay your room and board, your tuition, and give you thirty dollars a month to spend.’ And E.V. Hill remembered Mama saying, ‘I will be praying for you!’”
Prayer makes a difference! As the great Will Rogers observed, “The trouble with our praying is, we just do it as a means of last resort.” Let prayer be your first stop rather than your last resort when you are in need.
The Apostle Paul instructs us in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” What a difference prayer makes! Instead of living in worry or anxiety, we can live in peace. We can rest in the assurance that, as Joyce Kitano reminded us last week, “God’s got this!”
This Sunday, May 15, we will begin a new teaching series that will last until Pentecost Sunday, June 5. Entitled “AND”, we will look at the Holy Spirit and Prayer this Sunday (Acts 4:23-31), followed by and Evangelism (Acts 8:26-39), and Water Baptism (John 1:19-34, Matt 28:18-20), and Spirit Baptism (Acts 1:4-5, 2:1-4, Luke 11:11-13). Please join us at 10:35am in the building or online for the Live broadcast on either Facebook (Honolulu AG) or our YouTube channel (Honolulu Assembly of God). We Livestream to both locations every Sunday morning.
This Sunday also marks the beginning of a new teaching series in the Adult Bible Class that meets at 9:30am. It is an 8-week study on Spiritual Gifts. Curious about the gifts of the Holy Spirit? This series is for you.
If you missed last Sunday’s Mother’s Day message by my wife Shirley, you really missed it! Be sure to check it out at one of the online locations mentioned above.
Coming Up: A chairlift is scheduled to be installed this week. It will be ready for those who need assistance to be able to access the Fellowship Hall. Mahalo nui loa for your faithful giving that makes such purchases possible! (Note: If you would like to invest in the ministries of Honolulu AG, please click on the yellow donate button on the bottom of this page.) If you are interested in being baptized in water, please let me know. It is coming up soon.
Aloha ke Akua!