In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Ephesians 6:16-18

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I confess that I often forget to pray. I get so busy doing work, spending time with my family and friends, and focusing on the next task that I think back on my day and realize I never dedicated time to talking to God! Maybe you are a little bit like me. Maybe you get so focused on whatever the next “thing” is that you forget to lift it up in prayer. Luckily, God is gracious and has something to teach us today.

One of the things I notice while I visit our global partners all around the world—from the coffee fields in El Salvador to the busy train stations of India—is that our partners know how to pray. They pray as you see in the passage, “in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” They are acutely aware of the fact that without the power and presence of God with them, their efforts will fall short. They know that even greater things are possible with God than they can dream up for themselves. 

You see, our partners understand that there are forces at work that are bigger than we are and that prayer is the tool we, as Christians, have to call upon God for intervention, direction, and strength. Prayer is how we stay connected to our Maker and our Source. Through continual prayer, entire communities have been lifted out of extreme poverty, hundreds of churches have been planted and are growing, and thousands of children are able to reach their full potential. 

Let’s learn from our partners and dedicate ourselves to praying before action, knowing that in doing so, the power and presence of God is with us in our actions. 

Next Steps

Take time to pray that we will reach our seed-packing and fundraising goals and that lives will be transformed during the next three weeks of Celebration of Hope.

How else can you incorporate continual prayer into your life?