STATE MISSIONS: Prayer
“And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil” (Luke 11:1-4).
“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen” (Matt. 6:9-13).
For many, prayer is a greatly misunderstood and misused aspect of their Christian life. There is no greater asset than the privilege of prayer, which remains the most powerful yet most underutilized of all our Christian privileges. The Scriptures often indicate that we waste this precious time by misdirecting our prayers. Prayer serves as our means of communicating with God, just as the Bible represents God’s communication with us. If fellowship is to exist, the lines of communication must remain open. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. Does this imply there is a proper way to pray? Not necessarily, but we are encouraged to be direct in making our requests known. We are told we have not, because we do not ask, and sometimes we ask incorrectly.
A few elements could add depth to our words, such as beginning with praise: “Hallowed be thy name.” Additionally, we might express an air of repentance and set a time to make our requests known. Prayers can move mountains, and indeed, He hears us. It is essential to recognize that God answers all our prayers. Sometimes, He responds with a “yes,” other times with a “no,” and occasionally with a “wait.” We often ask for things, in our limited understanding, that fall outside of His will, but His wisdom and love discern the difference and work everything out for our good.
From Our Missionaries
Misión Creciendo en Cristo (Growing in Christ), North Little Rock: Juan Carlos Posadas writes, “The Old Testament class we teach on Tuesdays is a great blessing. Students have expressed that this course is easier than the previous course on Study Methods and Rules of Biblical Interpretation. Everything was new to them during the last course; now, they hear many stories they already know. But it is interesting to observe how they organize the events of the Old Testament in their minds and understand the purpose of God’s revelation to man, relating them to other texts in both the Old and New Testament.
“In the framework of the month of emphasis on global missions, in our Sunday meeting, we prayed for the missions of Southeast Asia — Our coordinator, John Meriweather and his team — P and G Prakash and Jeremiah S. in India; Jacob and Miriam in the Himalayas; Brandon and Brittney Lingle, and Siripong and Jessie Yaebeang in Thailand; and Rama B. in Myanmar. How beautiful are the feet of those who announce the gospel! Glory to God for this precious group of servants of God.
“Please keep us in your prayers. These are difficult times in the mission. My father-in-law continues to struggle with his illness and has not yet decided to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior, and Sayra and I are recovering from severe flu. But we remain strong, knowing that our service to the Lord is not in vain, but rather highly rewarded.”
Ebenezer, West Little Rock: Ruben Isturiz writes, “Many things are happening at Ebenezer, and it is difficult to count them all. The workshop on Gospel Movements has entered its fourth week, and God is already bearing fruit. Last week, we had visitors; this week, we had visitors, and we all desired to seek God. Keep praying that God will introduce us to people who desire Him.
“Thank God, the Bible Discovery Studies (DBS) are moving forward in the homes. We are praying for a DBS inside UAMS for the Hispanics who do cleaning inside the hospital. We have someone who is working there who is a person of peace, and he is opening doors where we don’t think God is working. Pray for God to open this door.
“For years, I have been praying for someone to help me in the leadership of Ebenezer. For all these years, I have been working alone but not solitary; God is our help. For an ethnic work, it is very difficult to have leaders. It takes a long time. Culturally, we come from countries with a Catholic background, where people come and go and don’t understand what it means to give, serve and be actively involved in a congregation. God, through the Silas Connection Partners, brought Moisés and Joseline Rico. They have been helping me since January of this year, and it has been a great blessing. Thank God for our support through State Missions. Thank you for the support and prayers from the churches. To God be the glory!”
Faith Chapel, Flippin: Johnny Shew writes, “Please allow me a short report this week. After a root canal and shoulder surgery, I’m really sore and just not that talkative.
“We had a great week at Faith Chapel, with a great time of worship and a good number, especially considering everything going around and the weather.
“Thank you for your prayers and support. We love you all.”
Faith Journey, Benton: Bryan Clay writes, “Love was in the air at Faith Journey this week! I hope everyone enjoyed their Valentine’s Day with their loved ones. We spread the love of Christ by handing out our homemade Valentine cards to the folks we visit each week at the nursing facilities. We made close to 50 cards a couple of weeks ago, and those we visited were so surprised and grateful to be remembered this week. Sometimes, it really is just the smallest gesture, like a card, that shows God’s love to someone who may not have that light in their life.
“This week during our lesson, we spent some time reviewing the high points we’ve learned about over the past few months. We love to revisit our lessons and then organize a trivia night to accompany a fellowship night, which we’ll have next week. Our Faith Journey family truly enjoys learning through the Bible in this way because it allows us to engage in a little friendly competition and share laughs while exploring God’s Word.
“This week, I received an invitation to speak about Faith Journey Mission at a meeting next month. I would love more opportunities to talk about what God is doing at our mission, so please keep us in mind if you want us to come share.”
Misión Gracia Soberana (Sovereign Grace), NWA:Roberto Marcelletti writes, “We are grateful for your support and prayers. My wife Patty has been in bed with pneumonia for 10 days now. We are trusting that the new treatment will have a better effect on her.
“On Wednesday, we had our prayer meeting and learned to pray following the Lord’s Prayer.
“Because of the inclement weather, we did not hold our congregational devotional Saturday. However, I took the opportunity to offer biblical counseling to Angeles and Iris. I also met with Franklin about the decisions he must make with his family.
“We had our Sunday School with a very good attendance of eight brothers and two guests. There were several families absent at the service due to the intense cold and snowfall, but that did not prevent us from having a beautiful time of collective adoration and praying for each other.”
El Faro #2 Hispanic Mission, Cabot/Jacksonville: Michael Hight writes, “I want to thank Jorge Jr. for preaching and directing the service yesterday.
“Last week was a challenging week for me. I had my treatment Thursday, then went into anaphylactic shock and ended up spending the night in the hospital. I spent another night in the hospital Saturday for some testing. Hopefully, my doctors can find another treatment plan.
“Please keep me and the mission in your prayers.”
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Paul White
Arkansas State Missions Director Paul White pens a weekly column to inform the BMA of Arkansas concerning Arkansas Missions’ activity and includes individual reports from each church planter.
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