Last week, our prayer group was led by the Holy Spirit to pray about Christians in Iraq and Syria.
You might wonder what good is prayer for situations where we have no personal knowledge. Isn't it hard enough to get answers to prayer for concrete personal issues?
I believe we don't pray enough for God's kingdom work in other parts of the world. Our vision is too short.
Our prayers for Iraq and Syria last week sprang from our hearts as moved by the Spirit. When we pray as the Spirit prompts, we can expect God to act.
A prayer leader in another church told me several years ago how members of his prayer group were seeking God one evening when the word "Tonga" came to someone's mind. Another person felt there was a coup attempt and the king was threatened with assassination.
The group prayed about Tonga without knowing where Tonga was. They found out later that a coup attempt on the Pacific island had been thwarted at the time they were praying.
In his book Spirit Rising, pastor and author Jim Cymbala says he was reading his newspaper one day when he came across an article about a mob attacking a Christian family in Gojra, Pakistan, killing seven of them just because of their faith. The mob went on to burn and loot Christian homes and stores in the area.
Cymbala was deeply moved by what he read and, as he prayed, he wept. The Spirit was at work in Cymbala's heart.
At the church's huge Tuesday evening prayer meeting, Cymbala spoke about the Christians' plight in that Pakistani village and led the congregation in prayer. The amazing thing was that a woman was present from Pakistan whose Pakistani pastor husband was bringing aid to the Christians in that village that very evening.
It was her first time visiting Cymbala's church in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her visit led the church to give thousands of dollars in aid to the suffering Christians in that village which was delivered through the woman's husband.
Months later, the Christian pastor in Gojra telephoned Cymbala's church to say that a mob was gathered around the Christians who had retreated to the roof of a house and he asked for prayer. Cymbala and his church prayed that evening.
The Pakistani Christian pastor telephoned back later to say that a heavy downpour of rain saved the Christians. The mob scattered as the rain pelted down.
Prayer rescued Israel many times in its history, going back as far as God hearing the cries of the Israelite slaves in Egypt and delivering them from their tormentors.
We should pray boldly when the Holy Spirit stirs our hearts for our nation or people a world away.
You might wonder what good is prayer for situations where we have no personal knowledge. Isn't it hard enough to get answers to prayer for concrete personal issues?
I believe we don't pray enough for God's kingdom work in other parts of the world. Our vision is too short.
Our prayers for Iraq and Syria last week sprang from our hearts as moved by the Spirit. When we pray as the Spirit prompts, we can expect God to act.
A prayer leader in another church told me several years ago how members of his prayer group were seeking God one evening when the word "Tonga" came to someone's mind. Another person felt there was a coup attempt and the king was threatened with assassination.
The group prayed about Tonga without knowing where Tonga was. They found out later that a coup attempt on the Pacific island had been thwarted at the time they were praying.
In his book Spirit Rising, pastor and author Jim Cymbala says he was reading his newspaper one day when he came across an article about a mob attacking a Christian family in Gojra, Pakistan, killing seven of them just because of their faith. The mob went on to burn and loot Christian homes and stores in the area.
Cymbala was deeply moved by what he read and, as he prayed, he wept. The Spirit was at work in Cymbala's heart.
At the church's huge Tuesday evening prayer meeting, Cymbala spoke about the Christians' plight in that Pakistani village and led the congregation in prayer. The amazing thing was that a woman was present from Pakistan whose Pakistani pastor husband was bringing aid to the Christians in that village that very evening.
It was her first time visiting Cymbala's church in Brooklyn, N.Y. Her visit led the church to give thousands of dollars in aid to the suffering Christians in that village which was delivered through the woman's husband.
Months later, the Christian pastor in Gojra telephoned Cymbala's church to say that a mob was gathered around the Christians who had retreated to the roof of a house and he asked for prayer. Cymbala and his church prayed that evening.
The Pakistani Christian pastor telephoned back later to say that a heavy downpour of rain saved the Christians. The mob scattered as the rain pelted down.
Prayer rescued Israel many times in its history, going back as far as God hearing the cries of the Israelite slaves in Egypt and delivering them from their tormentors.
We should pray boldly when the Holy Spirit stirs our hearts for our nation or people a world away.
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