1 Timothy 5:13
“And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.”
Many years ago I received a call from a woman who asked for an appointment. I had never met this woman and wondered what she wanted. I will never forget her first words: “I am the other woman.” I was confused since I had never met her before and, in fact, had never heard her name mentioned.
She asked if our Prayer Chain had not been praying about the wicked woman who was having an affair with one of the men in our church. I assured her that her name was not being mentioned in our prayer concerns. She said that several other churches had her name on their prayer lists.
It felt like I had been hit by a ton of bricks. This woman explained that both she and a certain man were members of the same scuba diving club. That was their only contact and nothing more. The man’s wife, nevertheless, became jealous and began to spread rumors about her husband’s supposed infidelity. From there it was picked up by various prayer groups. How sad!
I immediately called the captain of our prayer chain and asked her if she had heard about this situation. She said that a request had been made but there was nothing to substantiate the charges; therefore, it was never put out as a prayer request. Thank God! Be careful, dear heart. We can do great harm by using prayer as a sanctified gossip line!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil