Did you know that one of Team Expansion’s seven great passions is PRAYER? Here’s one story that illustrates why we know it’s so powerful.
by one Team Expansion worker who prayed
When you pray, God answers. I’d heard that my whole life. However, I had no idea that sometimes when you pray, God makes you the answer to those prayers. A few years ago I visited an unreached country for a 10-day prayer journey. We drove through city after city where there were few or no known Christians.
I remember being deeply impacted by the masses of people who had never heard about the Good News of Jesus. I remember the tears I cried for the people I saw and the desire I had for God to reveal Himself to them. I remember driving past shepherds in their fields and wondering who would ever go and tell them about the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep.
I remember praying Scripture over the people and feeling overwhelmed by the millions in bondage to a hopeless, empty religion. I was reminded of Jesus’ words, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Matthew 9:37-38).
So I started asking. I decided to take Jesus at His words, trust Him that the harvest is plentiful, and began asking him to send out workers. During the journey I asked God to send believers to each city we visited. After I returned home I continued to pray for the country I visited. I fasted weekly and persistently asked God to send workers who could share the Gospel with the countless faces I saw.
Somewhere over the weeks and months that followed, my prayers began to change. I went from praying, “Lord, please send workers,” to, “Lord, please send me.” I realized that God was answering my prayers for more workers to go to the abundant harvest field by sending me.
I am now living among an unreached people group. I still pray for more workers. I also pray for God to lead me to the harvest I know exists among them. I also thank Him every day for letting me be a part of this incredible journey and to live and work where I do.
God changes nations, churches, governments, and authorities through prayer. But I learned that He changes me through prayer. As I began to pray the things that were on His heart, my heart for the nations grew as did my desire to be a part of what God is doing among those who have yet to hear.
Pray for my country. Pray for the nations. Pray for the unreached. But also listen. God may want to use you to be a part of answering those very prayers.
