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Persevering in Prayer

What amazing times we live in! COVID variants keep us on our toes and require us to adapt to constant changes. How has the COVID pandemic been a challenge or an opportunity for you? Sorry… trick question because it is not either/or but both/and. Yes, we have all been challenged beyond what we can bear but at the same time there have been more opportunities to grow and share Christ with people than ever before. A number of us have been challenged to start praying extraordinary prayers, but what makes a prayer extraordinary? God answers! I have been praying daily for my neighbours and thankfully, God has given me opportunities to have deep conversations, about life and death. We are all experiencing the same challenges but as believers we have the Way, the Truth, and the Life to share with them.

I have been persevering in prayer for eight years, since returning from Portugal, where I was trained and had the privilege to implement Discovery Bible Studies (DBS), Discipleship Multiplication Movement (DMM) and Church Planting Movement (CPM) principles. I have been asking God to give me opportunities to put these principles into practice here in Canada. The last two years God has responded in unexpected ways despite COVID restrictions. I have set an alarm on my phone at 10:02 to stop and pray Luke 10:2. God has answered this bold prayer and I have seen a younger generation rise up to take the Lord’s work both in the church as well as going to the mission field.

I have also been praying selfishly that God would bless my church with people who want to be baptised. Selfish, why? Because my Iranian pastor friend was baptising 27 people and I jealously wanted to do the same. God answered! People called the church asking to be baptised. In 33 years as a missionary, I never had strangers reach out and ask to baptised. God, provided three candidates last March who showed interested. Sadly, we were in “lockdown” so what should I do? We started an online DBS group to help them grow as we waited for restrictions to change so that they could be baptised. In December God continued to surprise me by bringing another seven people seeking baptism across my path. I am grateful for these opportunities to see God at work in our community in unexpected ways.

Yes, COVID is terrible and a huge challenge on many levels but it also provides many opportunities to discuss deep issues of life, eternity, mental, and spiritual health, etc. So let us ask God in boldness for more opportunities to share Jesus with others so that they would come to know their Creator, our Lord and Saviour as we do.