So considered yourself encouraged.
Since I am not a fan of encouragment without equipment, let me equip you with ways to pray for Nehemiah Teams. There is nothing rigid about what follows, it is just ideas to help give your prayer life structure. Prayer is vital to missions. It is not the second best thing to giving money, it is the power of God, and that makes it the best thing you can give! Please be encouraged that your prayers make a difference in the lives of those you are praying for and that God answers your prayers!
So here you go TEN ways to pray for the 2011 (International) Nehemiah Teams...
- Follow this blog! Part of the NT's ministry is students whose job is media. They will be traveling between teams, writing updates, posting pictures, and sharing how God it at work! This blog will keep you up to date on prayer requests AND will allow you see how some of your prayers have already been answered! (www.nehemiahteams.blogspot.com)
- Do you know one of the members personally? Do you have a picture of them? Are you friends with them on Facebook? Print a picture of them and put it in a place you see often OR make their picture your desktop background; this will serve as a daily reminder to pray for them. Let's face it humans forget, sometimes we need reminders. (If you have another way to remind yourself to pray please let me know, I would love to hear it!)
- Pray specially for the those serving as Team Leaders. Being a leader is challenge enough, but being a leader and trying to handle culture shock...that is some serious snot! Please pray for them to have a determined faith, to be lead by the Holy Spirit, and to have the humility to lead like Christ.
- Pray for team unity. Again, let's face it, humans are not known for being perfect and are not always the best at unity. Personality conflicts. Misunderstandings... sin somehow can get into even the holiest of lives and trip up what once was a focused team. Please pray that the team members work together to obey the Great Commission, that they are a living sacrifice to the people they are serving, and that they treat eachother as they would want to be treated. (The Golden Rule, funny how it works like magic!)
- Pray for the people to whom they are sharing the Gospel! Remember the parable of the soil? how some of it was rocky and had no hope for life, some was thorny and the life was choked out of them, and then there was the good soil. It yielded a 100 times more than was sown! (Luke 8:4ish, read it!) Do you think Jesus taught that parable just so we could nod with understanding as the preacher gives his sermon? (Just in case...NO!) Pray for the hearts of people that are so blinded by sin that they can not see past their own pain. Pray for good soil! Beg God for ears that hear, for hearts that repent, and lives that are changed!
- Pray together. Have a party. Eat some food. AND PRAY! Pray like the lives of those kids depend on it. Pray like the eternity of the lost depend on it. There is power when the people of God pray together. Hold hands. Don't hold hands. Sit in a circle. Pair off in twos and threes. Pray spuratically. Prayer sentence prayers. Pray hour long prayers! JUST MAKE SURE YOU PRAY! (My apologies for yelling, but prayer is really important!) The way is not as important as the doing. Ask God together for a harvest, and celebrate together when His name is glorified and the kindgdom is expanded.
- Pray for the Field Suporvisors. Each team has someone called a field suporvisor that will visit them on site, encourage them spiritually, guide them when needed, and when needed offer counsel and advice when team unity is not intact. Often this role means a lot of travel, pray for safety and energy. Pray that they be Spirit lead, that they see the needs of the team and the individual needs of the team members.
- Find it on a map. Sure, you have seen a map before and probably know the general area of where the country is...BUT how long will it actually take you to find it on a map? Find out! Look it up. Pray for the country as a whole and for the countries that surround it. Funny, but there is something about being able to put your finger on it that helps you pray for that particular country.
- Use the buddy system. Get a prayer partner specifically for Nehemiah Teams and pray together. Hold eachother accountable for praying. Who knows you might end up with a new best friend!
- Spend time in prayer. Prayer is not meant to be rushed through, it is not a shopping list, it is a conversation. When you do not know how to pray, do not stop. Pray for guidance. Ask God to lead you in prayer. The best times I have had with God had the worst startoffs. God is not interesting in our eloquence. He does not care for prettied up words and long drawn out nothings, so go ahead stumble over those words, let your prayers be a little awkward. Be patient and be Spirit lead; when God leads a prayer you are not praying 'if this be your will' rather you are praying His will.
Thank you for yours prayers! Your prayers make you a part of our ministry, and are a daily reminder to me that this is a work of the entire Body of Christ.