“Again, truly I tell you that if
two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them
by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I
with them.”
[Matthew 18:19-20]
Last month God gave me an unexpected gift. He gave me a
month of prayer which is a beautiful gift by itself, but He also sent a prayer
partner to join me.
My friend Ancuța was already an answer to prayer. Back in
October I had several people tell me they were praying God would give me a
friend to help me settle in to Romania – and He did! We have fun together, we
can talk about anything, and I adore her beautiful daughter. However, at the
end of November God gave us both a desire for more prayer in our lives and so
we agreed to meet every morning at 7. We began praying for each other, our
families, our church, our missionaries, our city and our country. We met for
four weeks and it was a beautiful time.
Now, because of the holidays and my soon-departure for
language school, Ancuța and I are no longer able to meet regularly. But I want
to remember and share some of the things I’ve gained and learned from praying
daily with another person.
A Reason to Get Moving
Sometimes we need an extra push to get moving. For me meeting
to pray gave me a reason to get out of my house. For Ancuța it was a reason to
wake up before her little daughter. There is powerful motivation in knowing
another person is waiting for you, and that your time will be devoted to the
Lord.
Knowing & Trusting God More
Most mornings Ancuța and I would start by reading scripture.
It was a daily reminder of who God is and what His word says.
God desires for us to come to Him. “Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.” [1
Chronicles 16:11] Prayer is one of the ways we seek God and acknowledge our
need for Him. This is the fellowship and open communication He desires with us.
God cares. Nothing is too big or too small for the Lord.
When we bring Him our desires, fears, worries, etc. it shows that we trust Him
to care for us and give us the strength and peace we need. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer
and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:6-7]
God is listening and He does answer prayers. “This
is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according
to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we
know that we have what we asked of him.” [1 John 5:14-15] I recently read that
the more prayers we pray, the more prayers God can answer and this is true! It was
really amazing to see the prayers God answered in December, even the small ones
– and to praise Him for it.
God is our good, trustworthy Father. Even when many prayers
seem to go unanswered we can still trust in the goodness & faithfulness of
God. “Know therefore that the Lord your
God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand
generations of those who love him and keep his commandments.” [Deuteronomy
7:9] The ultimate reminder of His faithfulness and love is in the fact that He
sent His son to this earth to save us. For that alone we can always praise God.
Fellowship with Others
Prayer is one of many ways to strengthen our fellowship with
others. Ancuța and I were friends before, but this month of prayer brought us
even closer together. There is strength and encouragement in knowing the other
person is sacrificing their own time to meet. But more than that is witnessing
the other person’s vulnerability and heart for the Lord. I love listening to
Ancuța pray. Even if I don’t fully understand the Romanian language, I can
still sense the passion in her voice. Our time of prayer often led to more words
of encouragement too.
A Changed Heart
I was already in love with Drăgănești-Olt and its people but
praying for this place daily softened my heart even more. Ancuța is a native to
Drăgănești and she knows the deep struggles. There is something powerful about
listening to someone cry out to God on behalf of a people and a place. There is
also power in speaking the words yourself, praying out loud for God to come and
change hearts and lives in specific ways. Now more than ever I desire to see
the hope of Christ here in Drăgănești and Romania.
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You may not have someone you can pray with daily, but I
encourage you to seek another person or even a group to pray with on a regular
basis. Pray for each other, pray for your church, pray for your city and pray
for the world. Come before God and see what He does!
