Posted by Lizzie, Journeyman in the Philippines.
Original post can be found at her blog: Eating Off the Same Plate
Part of my job is mobilizing students to obey the Great Commission; another part of it is encouraging people to be a part of those student's summer ministries by praying for them.So considered yourself encouraged.
Since I am not a fan of encouragement 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 2015 (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 sporadically.
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 kingdom is
expanded.
- Pray for the Field Supervisors. Each
team has someone called a field supervisor 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 each other 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 start-offs. 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.
Sunday night during the community worship service there will be an opportunity for those attending to give a gift to help over 4800 IMB workers worldwide. 100% of these funds are used for the direct support of field personnel. Help support the work of reaching the unreached with the Gospel of Jesus Christ by giving to this special offering.
