Which do you believe in?
He turned around and said, “If you believe in prayer, your prayers will never get any higher than your boots; but if you believe in God, all things are possible.”
Focused on God Himself
His name was Clarence Preedy, and he knew what he was talking about. He was a missionary in China at the outbreak of World War 2. He lived under Japanese occupation, Communist control, and then, briefly, freedom – only to be taken prisoner by the Japanese again.
I remember seeing him pace back and forth in his apartment from 6 to 8 every morning, praying for all the students in New Tribes Bible Institute, as well as missionaries around the world.
He prayed for more laborers. He prayed that they would not get sidetracked. He prayed for their finances. Most of all, he prayed that those who have never heard would one day hear the gospel of the grace of God.
When Mr. Preedy shared those questions on the blackboard, he refocused our attention on what was really important: the Lord Himself.
Praying according to God's will
The world is too big, too diverse, too challenging and just too much for us to reach – but that is where the Lord comes in. He can take our humble requests and turn them into realities, because we ask according to His will. We know He is not willing that any should perish, and we know that he desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
Why aren’t people hearing of God’s redemptive plan? Is it because we are not asking the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into His harvest? Maybe so. Maybe so ...
Prayer Points
- Pray for New Tribes Mission representatives, for safety in their travels and for clarity as they present missions and the great need for more laborers. Pray that God uses their efforts to stir hearts to pray and send and go.
- Pray that God would raise up NTM associates with the needed skill sets. Teachers, carpenters, tech-support and secretaries are just a few of the roles to be filled. Associates serve for a minimum of six months, providing much-needed aid to the missions effort.
- [Catch the Vision] brought about 25 potential students to experience life for several days at New Tribes Bible Institute. The response was encouraging! Pray for Rex and Shirley Schaffner as they seek varied venues to challenge new laborers to the mission field.
- Interface is a six-week, college-level missions course in Papua New Guinea that allows you to discover the heart of cross-cultural missions. Pray that God would continue to use Interface to change the course of people's lives and direct them into missions--just like He did in the case of Geoff and Shannon Husa.
- "Tribal missions is often hard to explain, and words only reach so deep. Experiencing tribal missions explains much more," writes missionary Rosie Cochran. Pray for the stateside Wayumi program as it seeks to gives people a taste of village life, an understanding of the [how] behind missions, and a passion to become a part.