WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOO
Join God in His Work Witness and good deeds are essential to the work of missions. But in the final analysis, changing lives is spiritual work that could only be accomplished by the Holy Spirit. Transformation is God at work; prayer is God’s people at work. In prayer, we join God in His work.
Hudson Taylor said, “When I get to China, I will have no claim on anyone for anything. My claim will be alone in God, and I must learn before I leave England to move men through God by prayer alone.” In his 50 years of service among the Chinese people, it was said that the sun never rose in China without finding Hudson Taylor on his knees.
It’s Not About Us We don’t have to be spiritual giants to pray for missions. Prayer is powerful because of the One we pray to. The source of power lies with God. But He chooses to work through His children’s prayers.
The Book of Acts is the account of God’s Spirit in action. The New Testament missionary movement was birthed in Jerusalem at Pentecost when the Spirit fell upon the disciples while they prayed. Paul and Barnabas were commissioned by the Spirit in Antioch while they prayed. Prayer was mentioned 31 times in Acts. The Spirit moves and things happen when God’s people pray.
A Promise Repeated 6x On the night that our Lord was betrayed, He knew the disciples would soon be facing challenges that could crush them. So, He gave them important instructions on prayer with the promise repeated six times that God would do whatever they asked in His name (Jn. 14:13-14; 15:7, 16; 16:23-24).
After years of faithful ministry, the Apostle John no doubt experienced many answered prayers. So, he passed on the Lord’s promise to his spiritual children:
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” (1 Jn. 5:14)
Today, 2,000 years later, we can be sure that we are asking according to God’s will when we follow the Lord’s instructions to pray:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name,Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt. 6:9-10)
“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.” (Mt. 9:38)
The late Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “God places us in the world as his fellow worker-agents of transfiguration. We work with God so that injustice is transfigured into justice, so there will be more compassion and caring, ... that there will be more togetherness in God’s world.”
Let us pray for more workers to be sent out so the gospel of peace will reach the world, one person, one family, and one community at a time. God’s name will be honored when there is justice and peace, when men and women reconcile with Him and with one another.
Join the GLS Network of Intercessors You will receive our prayer emails M-W-F or once a week. In a three to five-minute read, you can pray for a worker, a family, a project, a region, or a special need. To subscribe, contact us at prminute@gmail.com.
Pray for missionaries you know and those supported by your church.
Urgent is the task as many people are passing into eternity without Christ. You and I can make a difference with our prayers.