Time for a check-in

Sometimes check-ups are needed, like this recent dental appointment at Vida en Abundancia de Mexico in Jalapa. (Photo submitted)

“The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” ― James 5:16

My wife and I have gotten into the habit of having “check-ins” with our kids whenever we feel things in life are taking a toll on them. Or maybe we just want reassurance that they are doing OK. The check-ins don’t take long ― maybe only 10 minutes per child. It may be a little dorky, but it gives us a chance to sit down with them and look at the big picture of what they are going through.

So, it’s time for a GAP prayer warrior check-in. How are you doing? Are you feeling encouraged to keep pressing on in prayer, or discouraged by some circumstance? Are you finding the time to pray? Do you have the energy? Are there things we could do to help you pray or make you better aware of world issues at the Luke Society? If so, please shoot us an e-mail or give a phone call.

A few thoughts:

First: We believe in the power of prayer. We know you do, too. We believe God actually moves and acts because of the prayers of His people. As pastor Alvin Vander Griend says, “God waits to be asked not because he is powerless, but because of the way He has chosen to exercise His will. We are not pawns on a giant chessboard. We are involved.” Can you imagine that? We are involved in the spiritual battles taking place in a small medical clinic in Africa right now?

Second: There is a great need in so many countries. There are so many difficult circumstances people are living with each day in places where Luke Society ministries function. Injustices, wars, famine, loss, disappointment and hardship don’t seem to end. Pray for God to move and act in people’s lives. Many ministries are going through large transitions and trials and are requesting the Lord’s help and prayer. We will continue to highlight specifics in future GAP newsletters.

Third: Let us come helpless before the Father. As we lift up prayer requests, we realize that we alone cannot change certain issues in the world. We come before God like a crippled or blind man, like a woman at the well with no water, or like a leper who longs for life to be different. We helplessly give our requests to God and allow Him to do the healing. Yet, even though we are helpless, we still come, we still request, we still look for change.

Finally, we know prayer isn’t flashy work. I don’t know of any Instagram pray-ers. In fact, prayer is a spiritual discipline. It is hard to take valuable time and reach out to God on behalf of someone else—people you do not know in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. Yet, we know that God hears our prayers and somehow involves us in the affairs of the world.

So, back to the check-in. How are you doing? Will you keep praying? What if God says to us the same thing he says to his prophet in Jeremiah 33:3? “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to pray as a GAP prayer partner.

See the image below to read causes for prayer and praise in the Luke Society for September.