YOUTH MINISTRY
Through Prayer and Supplication
R
ecently, I was reminded of one of our duties as Christians: to pray. One Thessalonians 5:17 says we should ‘pray without ceasing’. Often, many of us mistake this as an invitation to regularly update God with our latest wants and wishlists. Now, God does care about us and wants us to ‘make all our requests known’ to Him ‘through prayer and supplication’ (Philippians 4:6), however, prayer should not only be about ourselves. As Christians, our prayer time should go beyond selfish requests and on to intercession. Praying for those in need; praying for the sick; praying for the homeless, and today’s topic: praying for missionaries. I imagine that being a missionary is no easy role, and I have always admired anyone who was willing to give up the comfort and familiarity of their home, sojourn to a different country, and help others find Christ. A lot of countries in the world (sadly) still do not grant their citizens the right to have and practise their own religion and, unfortunately, the persecution that Paul and other apostles faced in the Bible still carries on today. These missionaries (and their families) need our support and prayer: for safety, financial provision and the strength to continue. Now, apart from praying for others during your personal prayer time, there is one more thing I would like us to consider. One Corinthians 12:17 says: “If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell?” As tempting or appealing as it may (or may not) be, not every one of us is called to
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GRAPEVINE magazine • Issue 102 • February/March 2020
be a missionary. If we were all chefs, then who would be the farmer to grow the crops? Or if we were all doctors, then who would drive the ambulances in an emergency? God has a purpose carved out for every single one of us and it is imperative that we seek Him to discover what this purpose is, and not simply follow the crowd. Some of us were born to go out into countries, where people are suffering from a lack of hospitals, to provide them with medical care; some are born to design clothes (so we don’t run out of things to wear!); some of us are born to be nutritionists; some of us are meant to be poets; some of us are born to be missionaries. Whatever your calling or purpose is, the worst thing to do would be to ignore it, or try to evade it. Ask God for the courage to begin, and then start. As the saying goes, you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Each of us is called for a unique purpose, but we are all called to pray – without ceasing. This week, pray. Pray for your future; pray for your family; pray for the person you really do not like; the homeless person you see on the street; those suffering from poverty. A reminder to myself as much as it is to anyone else is: pray, pray and do not stop, because the power of prayer is immeasurable, even though you may not see the effects yourself.
KOFO BOBOYE
