Holy and Hopeful Work
When I share with people that I will be going on a prayer trip, I have gotten a mixed bag of responses. Everything from “Wow! That’s amazing!” to “Why are you doing that? Shouldn’t you be doing real work?” I don’t know where your reaction would fall on that scale, but I know my reaction in the past would land closer to the critical than excitement. Why would anyone give up their precious time to fly somewhere to pray? Isn’t that just a vacation? Wouldn’t the missionaries there be upset that you aren’t actually helping?
I had to fight against all of these ideas and judgments floating around my head before I went on my first prayer trip. In September 2023, I joined a prayer team in Spain where we prayed over Peña de Horeb and the surrounding towns. In March 2024, I was part of a prayer team that spent time in Italy and Hungary praying for the ministries there. Something that we did in all three fields is pray with people serving there.
Praying with the missionaries is my favorite part of these trips. It is a reoccurring narrative in missionary circles that they are lonely or feel like they receive little support. How beautiful that I get to come alongside people in this very real way in prayer. As the missionaries share what they are going through, what they are hoping for, and what God is doing, I get to lament with them, dream with them, and praise God with them. We take it all to the Lord in prayer together. It has been amazing to take part in these times of prayer. It humbles you and points to how good God is.
At the end of each trip, as the team is going to the airport or saying goodbye to the missionaries that we have spent the week with, the prayer team has received the similar feedback. “Thank you so much for coming!” “It has been an encouragement to pray with you!” “God is clearly at work, and I can see that in a different way now.” Some missionaries have followed up later with me to share how God has answered prayer or other prayer requests.
This has been holy and hopeful work for me. I am not in leadership currently; I cannot make new policies to help the people serving on the field. I am not a team member on most of these fields where we have prayed, so I cannot lend a hand in their day-to-day struggles. I am not a millionaire (sadly), so I am unable to fund fully any missionary in this region. So what can I do? Take it all to the Lord! Prayer is the only thing I can do in most of these situations, and it is the most powerful thing that I could do.
As I hold the burdens and the joys with people serving the Lord, I tell them that they are not alone! It reaffirms the truth that God has not left them, He sees them, He cares!
