Pray, Without Ceasing

One of the most mystifying aspects of those who follow Christ in my opinion is prayer. Those who are on the outside will never understand, and those on the inside can never explain. Since my arrival here to Peru, my concept and practice of prayer has bettered exponentially. I’m not going to try to explain II Thessalonians 5:17 to you. I believe that is something that every individual must discover on there own through the inclination of the Holy Spirit. No, I just want to look at the prayer implemented in the life of a missionary.

It has been pressing on my heart for awhile. My devotional prayer life has been increasing since my arrival to here in Peru. Getting up in the morning and the first thing I do was not always prayer, and it’s not anywhere to perfect now. God is always calling to a higher standard. You can always set the bar higher on quality and/or quantity. That is something I’ve been working on for a year and a half.

Only since my arrival to Puno has prayer bettered in other ways. This is what really made me understand it better, and then I gave more importance to my morning prayer times. Praying with people, praying with my compañero, praying in front of people, praying when people ask for prayer, praying as an instinct.

Praying with people. People love to be prayed for here, they say they need prayer but never do they expect us to say, “Ok let’s pray. Right now.” Maybe they think it as a common courtesy to say that you’ll pray for them, it’s not any different than the U.S. How much more powerful is it to pray for that person in that moment than say you’re going to pray for that person in the mornings or when you get home. This aspect was something that hit me early on when we arrived to Puno.

Praying with my compañero. We used to do it every Tuesday, but now I’m trying to get us to depend on it, praying 2 to 3 times a day. Whether they’re scheduled prayers, or random ones because I feel we need to do it. Either way, I can’t be frustrated with him after we pray. It’s impossible to fight the peace in my heart.

Praying in front of people. Specifically non-believers. In public and usually with my compañero. Without shame, instead praying for those people who might be amused by us. It’s very humbling.

Praying when people ask for it. “Hey, can you pray for me, I’m having a rough day.” “Ok, I’ll be praying for you.” Guilty as charged, I’ve done it numerous times thinking that they just need to hear that they’ll be prayed for. Take the time to put aside a few quality minutes and intercede for that person. You, after all, would want them to spend that quality time interceding for you if you were to ask them. When I tell people that I’m going to pray them, I’m going to pray for them the first chance I get.

Praying as an instinct. Is that how it is for you? Is that the first thing you depend on? Or only when you’re scared? You breathe don’t you? I say that you should rely on prayer the same way you rely on oxygen or food. I’ll be the first one to admit that it’s not an instinct for me, but I can honestly tell you guys that I’m striving for it to be. It’s hard, sometimes I don’t want to but it’s definitely worth it. Prayer changes lives. The lives of the intercedees and the interceders.

On the subject of prayer, I would like to ask you readers who’ve gotten this far in my blog for some prayer. It recently been my decision to increase the number of services we do in each church plant. We’re trying to unite the family of our churches by prayer. We’ve added a prayer service on Thursdays at 6:00PM in Salcedo and another Tuesdays at 6:00PM in Rinconada. We’ll read a Psalm, ask for prayer requests, and then sit in a circle and give all the chance to pray. If no one comes, then Geremías and I will have another opportunity to pray, which is never a bad thing.

This will also force us to spend more time in our districts, which is something that has been weighing on my heart. I want to leave here with a clear conscience and knowing that I have worked with integrity. Seeing results or not seeing results won’t matter, as long as I know that I put my all.

I need your prayer because this puts us at 6 services a week. That’s a lot of church, and it’s not like I’m the one getting served in a church service. It’s going to wear down on me in numerous ways. Please be in prayer that lives are changed, that I am strengthened, that people are united, and that in the end God is the one who is glorified.

Thanks for reading this blog, I hope you’ve been challenged. Until the next time, check this song out.