I’ve heard it before. “All I can do is pray.” I catch myself telling others I’d rather have their prayers than their money. It’s easy to tell someone else prayer matters, but when the tables turn? Not so much!
I raised a lot of money for my trip to Tanzania in June. I started coughing two days into the excursion. I coughed through two pastor’s conferences. Then came our annual widows’ conference along with worsening symptoms. I gutted it out, sitting in a chair to teach. I couldn’t bear to disappoint the widows. Next came a day to rest, yet improvement didn’t come. The following morning, while waiting for a ride to minister to former teenage prostitutes, I felt short of breath. Suddenly I realized if I didn’t get help, I would suffer. I reached out to our leadership and ended up seeing a doctor at a local hospital. Our day of ministry was cancelled.
I received medication, but my recovery remained sluggish. Yusuph, our leader, asked me to slow down and rest. I felt frustrated that I couldn’t go to the village and share the gospel with my team. When Yusuph asked me to rest a second day, I questioned why God asked me to raise money only to sit on the sidelines. Then it hit me. The tables had turned!
Prayer functions as the most important aspect of our ministry. Would I willingly serve the Lord in any capacity on this trip, even if it meant staying behind at the campground praying over my team? What about you? Do you feel your only contribution to missions comes through prayer? Take heart. Prayer is the most important aspect of ministry. Thank you for your faithful prayers for Twelve21 Global.