GPBC Blog

By Heather Murray--

In countries like Switzerland in the spring, a skier shouting a few words can set off tons of snow thundering down the mountainside. In my children's Operation World (Intervarsity Press, 2018) prayer book we are reminded that, "In the same way, a few words spoken to God our Father in Jesus' name can set off an avalanche of God's power in any part of the world." (p.4)
 
Jill Johnstone, one of the authors of the first edition of this great resource, had started a children's prayer club. Back in the days when Albania was the world's first atheist country, the kids felt bad that people weren't allowed to worship God. They prayed hard for a change in that country, and, in time, the leaders in Albania changed. Now, people there are allowed to follow Jesus. 
 
Why are our prayers so powerful? When we make a commitment to follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our body. That means all of God's power and strength reside in us, too.  
 
During our family's twelve years in Turkey, we worked and prayed hard to see churches planted among the Kurdish people. When we left in 2002 only a handful of Kurds had put their faith in Christ. I remember thinking of all the global partners who had spent their lives there and were even buried on Turkish soil. They had not seen the fruit of their labors. Yet today there are a handful of Kurdish fellowships. Turks worship alongside Kurds in several Turkish cities. Today there are even Kurds who are going as global partners to their own people.
 
This is why we should never stop praying for what we know God sees as good. The work of our enemy, Satan, can slow down prayers being answered. This should not discourage us as God has told us, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective" (James 5:16 NIV). Although this can seem a daunting task, God taught us to pray without ceasing. 
      
I want to partner with God as He works in our world. Yet, I know how hard it is to spend long periods on my knees in prayer. During this past year, I learned to pray in new ways. I have an inflatable globe which I keep nearby. Sometimes I place it on the table next to me or in my lap. As I pray for a country or people group I raise my hand above that area and imagine God's power going forth (like an avalanche). Because God knows everything, and I don't, I share my prayers for distant lands knowing He will do what is best in His perfect timing.
 
Other times, I sit my little globe on the buffet next to where I stand and play my guitar. I sing my worship song in prayer specifically for the country of the day. I sing my song as a prayer for the people in that part of the world. I also have a prayer book with beautiful photos of people in remote parts of the world. After reading it, I close my eyes and imagine I'm in a drone (like the kind you put cameras on). As I come closer and closer to the land, I can see in my mind's eye the people I am praying for herding their cattle or collecting berries in the forests. I imagine their daily needs as I pray for them.
 
Recently I saw a furniture advertisement in a magazine that was entitled: Life in the Slow Lane. I like that phrase. It reminds me of all the new ways I have learned to talk to God since life has slowed down (for most of us) this past year. Spending more time talking to God about the world's people has had an unexpected affect in my life, too. I am more conscious of my eating and spending habits now. Knowing that America has less than 5% of the world's population, I am more aware of the news concerning the other 95% of the people that Jesus loves. 
 
Pastor Tim Keller once said that prayer is not talking to God, it is responding to God. That is why we can most easily pray after we read (or sing) God's Word. We get to know God, we hear Him speak to us, and we have things we want to say to Him as a result. One thing we learn for certain is that our Father loves all people on this earth:
     
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16 NIV)
 
-Heather