prayer.

Prayer and its power have been heavy on my heart lately.

My biggest prayer lately has been that I would be an intentional servant. I want to lead and serve my squad, and my co-leaders with intentionality. I’ve been asking the Lord to show me how to do this. And the answer was simple, “Pray more.”

Jesus was diligent about prayer. When Jesus walked this earth serving us, He did nothing without the Father. His days were spent in prayer, in listening, in following the lead of his Father. How can I expect to do anything here on my own, when everything that Jesus did was in surrender to his Father’s will, when his moments were spent in deep relationship with Him? Jesus was able to be intentional, because He was intentional about time with His Father. He was able to serve in confidence because He knew His Father would answer Him, show up for Him, and provide for Him.

A lot of what we do out here on the field is pray. Pray for those we encounter on the streets, for the homes we visit, for the ministries we are doing, and for one another. And I have recognized even more lately the importance these prayers have.

Whether boldly declared out loud, quickly muttered under our breaths, or recited quietly within our own hearts prayers hold power. They are powerful because they are heard. Over and over again in Scripture, I have been reading the truth that when we call out to him, he hears, and even more, he answers.

When we ask him, he gives. When we seek His heart, we find it. He is a good, good Father and He desires to give His children good gifts and to answer their calls to Him in mighty ways - it’s just who He is.

Two months ago, we spent time praying for a woman named Maria. Every morning, she gets on her knees and meets with the Father. She prays because she rests in the faithfulness of the Lord and knows she is heard by the King. Months ago she asked the Lord for one room if she was worthy, and He gave her not only a room, but a house, and even more, it was free. We also got to pray for her, asking healing for weak knees and for more provision, and although I may never again get to meet Maria in this life, I too can rest in the faithfulness of the Father. That He heard, and He is answering in ways we cannot imagine.

A lot of what we do is pray, and a lot of times, we may not be able to see the fruits of those prayers. We don’t always get to see the healing in the physical, because first He is healing the heart. We don’t get to see the provision right away because He is answering in a bigger way. We don’t always get to see how the Lord shows up or what He is doing in the places we go here in Guatemala.

But still, I move forward, and I keep praying, because time and time again, He has proved His faithfulness and goodness to answer when I call.

Keep praying. God will show He is listening in an amazing way.