“Prayer is the strategy!” – Greg Pruett, Pioneer Bible Translators
If prayer is the strategy, what is your prayer plan for 2025? What will each day, week, month look like if you start each day with prayer?
What worries you the most if you are the parent of a global worker, a sender, or one sent? We serve an almighty God who invites us to, “cast all of our cares upon” Him! (1Peter 5:7) At the start of 2025, what is our best approach to encouragement for all involved in the mission of God? What difference will it make for us as parents if we approach them (our kids) in conversations with a worry-free heart, because we have indeed been able to unburden ourselves from every care? Possibly Paul’s proposal penned in prison will help: “Don’t worry about anything; instead pray about everything!” (Phil.4:6a NLT) Don’t miss the next part! Yes, the promise is the best: “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” (4:7) Don’t you agree? It’s time for us to take God at His Word and double-down on His promise of peace!
So, we have started our year with more prayer and less worry and as a result — more peace!
On Saturday, January 11, we started our “Coffee Time with Parents of Global Workers on Zoom” with these same thoughts from Philippians 4. Instead of worrying about everything and praying about nothing, we decided together we would follow Paul’s mandate. With 13 families on mission represented on our screen, we all shared our greatest worry with each other, either concerning our kids on the field or from our personal walk. Then we prayed for each other. The result was a powerful, encouraging time of sharing and prayer and several pages of prayer requests that we will continue to lift up! We are so thankful to start our year, gathering with other parents of global workers on zoom to simply pray for one another! Yes! It works! His promises are true! We are de-stressing and finding peace!
The theme for the year at our church is “Prayer”! On the first Sunday of this new year, our preacher, Ryan issued a challenge that we would like to pass along: Start every day for the next 7 days with Psalm 3! He recommended “Before you scroll on social media or the news to find out the latest, spend time in The Word and in prayer.” As you read through Psalm 3 each day, watch for…
- David’s predicament & mine
Note the subheading in your Bible. The NLT reads: “A psalm of David, regarding the time David fled from his son Absalom.” How does your situation dictate your perspective and prayer life?
- David’s prayer & mine
As we underscore those items on David’s prayer list, I find myself moving quickly to thanksgiving and praise. For example, LORD, who? Who are my enemies? Lord, if you are for us, who can be against us! You, YHWH, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who holds my head high. (v4) “I cried out to the LORD, and he answered me…” Because we have cast all of our cares on the LORD, we can “lay down and sleep…in safety!”(v5)
- David’s habit & mine
David did not list the attributes of his own “can do” program, but he is in the habit of handing it over to His Sovereign God! Through prayer, both morning and evening, I want to make certain I am constantly growing in awareness of His protection, comfort, security and guidance. Let’s commit to grow in these habits together in 2025!
