Two years ago when she arrived in our ministry, she would not have been a problem; on the contrary, she remained almost completely silent from prayer meeting to prayer meeting, she could barely pray, and that's not all. She was depressed and was constantly one to one and a half hours late for worship. She told us last week that once she even arrived when worship was already over, and she cried. The first time I wanted to give her a task, she said to me, 'Pastor, I am not a reliable person.' I was saddened to see that someone had so little self-esteem.
But as she came to pray, As she was receiving instruction, God began to move powerfully in her life and work hidden things. He gave her a heart to pray and honestly in two years I don't remember her missing a single prayer meeting while in town. She had her ups and downs, but as soon as by God's grace, divine order began to come into her life, she proved to be much more reliable in the long run than some people who arrived all pretty, claiming a direct line to heaven, before happily sailing away.
Prayer works. And God continues to work in us and through us as we pray. Life has not been a bed of roses for her since then. She has experienced challenges, but she has and continues to overcome them, equipped as she is with the Word of God and the ability to pray. Has she become perfect? Far from it, and I know something about that. But we are all in the process of transformation, and when I see how far we have come, I think the best is yet to come, and I pray that she stays the course, remains humble and faithful, and continues to respect and honor those through whom God has transformed her life. Why are we praying? For the transformation of lives, for a powerful manifestation of God's power through which people will be freed, set free, and lifted to a higher dimension. So we pray and we ask everyone to pray.
Actually, it's simple. If you came to this ministry and God changed your life in one way or another, it's because there are people who prayed before you arrived and after you arrived. First, it's appropriate to honor these people, and furthermore, now that you have received from God, it is your turn to help others. How? By participating in the ministry's prayer effort so that others can in turn be restored. And one of our prayer efforts is the week of prayer from 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. starting on the first Monday of the month. And now we're taking it to the next level; from now on, after the first week, we will have a prayer watch where we take turns praying at 5:00 a.m. for the remaining three weeks; so we will keep God company every day at 5:00 a.m.
The cry of my heart is to see a company of people who are completely committed to prayer as a way of life; for prayer works, and without it we can do nothing that is pleasing to God. Some people prefer to complain and criticize rather than pray; we tolerate them for a time, and if they refuse to change, we ask God to take them elsewhere, and he does. What a joy it would be to see more people who prefer to pray rather than preach, who prefer to shut themselves up with God in secret rather than parade themselves on the pulpit in public, who prefer to pray for leaders instead of flogging them.
God's purpose is to transform us. The previous article is eloquent about this. And I love seeing lives transformed. So as his intense prayer pierced through the wall and disturbed the quiet of my Bible study time, I decided I could live with it. After all, wasn't this the result of my prayer?
Selah.
This article is quite encouraging... I would like to be one of those who carry others in prayer... May the Lord give me the heart, that is my prayer to begin with!
Amen!
Amen!