Prayer, Action, and the Great Commission

2/9/2017

Most Christians realize early on that it takes a mixture of both prayer and action to fulfill the Great Commission. Faith without works is dead (James 2:26). Good works alone won’t fulfill God’s purposes any more than they’ll get you into heaven. (They aren’t rooted in the leading of the Holy Spirit.) And isolated prayers won’t accomplish everything, since someone must still put food on the table for the hungry!

It takes a partnership between the two: a “syncing” of Mary’s God-infused stillness with Martha’s active sense of mission. Only when we begin to balance the two do we really start fulfilling the Great Commission. One look at Isaiah 58:6-9 seals this truth. (Hover your cursor over scriptures in every post to read them.)

This week, as I listened again to my friend Jasmine Marino’s story of abuse, abortion, and sex trafficking, I was reminded of the great urgency we have as believers to rescue the hurting and speak up for those who cannot defend themselves. Missions work is not always abroad. In fact, many nations believe it is America that needs the most help!

The Problem Is, There's Too Much to Do!

But where to start? There are so many worthy causes! Some friends and I tackled the issue of sex trafficking this week by hosting a fundraising event for two abolitionist ministries in the Boston area. But what about racial reconciliation? Isn’t that important, too? Terrorism? The lack of discipleship? Addiction? The refugee dilemma? The list goes on.

We reach the place in our Christian lives where we’re finally ready to “get in the game.” We choose to accept the call to step out onto the playing field and throw a pass, with visions of Tom Brady’s grace and precision dancing in our heads. (Sorry, all you non-New Englanders! J ) We’re in it to win it, we think. This is gonna be great!

And then we see them. The enemies. No sooner has the whistle blown than we are surrounded by our enemies: it’s a blitz! Faster than we can comprehend, we’re down. Sacked. We drop the ball. The other team recovers. And it hurts.

It only takes one spiritual “blitz” from the enemy to silence most believers. The fight is too great, we say. Like Nehemiah’s wall-builders, we end up giving voice not to justice, as we planned, but to a three-fold complaint: there’s too much rubbish. Our strength is failing. Wherever we turn, the enemy is attacking us! Justice speaks… but sin silences.

Compassion, Not Distraction

In the presence of our enemies, we Christians are called to compassion, not distraction. We must regain our focus on what our Divine coach is calling us to do, and this is why prayer is such an important first step. Just as faith is listed before works in James 2:26, so prayer is the predecessor to our actions. Why? Because we receive the strategies from our coach – the Holy Spirit - in prayer. Once we have the mind of the Spirit, we have faith, life and peace (Romans 8:6). Then we act. Whatever the analogy, when we look at the blitz, or the storm, or the enemy’s attacks, we have only confusion, paralysis and fear.

God does not expect anyone to respond to every crisis or emergency. It would be impossible. Like the blitzed quarterback, we are already outnumbered. Even Jesus, when He walked the earth, was limited in His ability to respond to the masses, needing time to pull away and be restored Himself. We cannot adequately address every type of problem. God does, however, expect us to respond to some. How do we choose whom to help? We open our hands to that which tugs most at our hearts.

God Responds to Your Heart

During Tuesday night’s event, I had the privilege of leading a short prayer time. But because we ended up with less time than expected, I could not pray as comprehensively as I hoped. You readers know how much I believe in the power of prayer, so I while I came away from the event thrilled at all that happened (we raised over $1000 for two abolitionist ministries and filled 50 bags with donated items for women on the streets), I wished that there had been more time to invest in prayer also!

As I thought about this later, the Lord reassured me. He asked: “Did you not fast and pray for this event for all the weeks leading up to it?”

“Yes,” I answered.

“And do I not know your heart completely, even before you speak a word?”

“Well, yes,” I answered again.

“Now which do you think moves Me more, the words you speak or the heart that those words spring from?”

In a flash, I realized how silly I was being. God is the author of every prayer, the giver of every good desire, the Omniscient One who knows before I speak what needs to be done! I saw that this was another fulfillment of the prophetic word He spoke to us at the beginning of the year.

“You will have a thought in your heart and almost immediately see the provision for it.” (Click here to read the full prophetic word.)

This prophetic promise may seem strange to you until you realize that it is rooted in scripture. Ephesians 3:20 says that God does “exceedingly, abundantly MORE than we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.” (NKJV) Note: **we are asking or even just thinking… God is doing!

Not only that, but God is responding not just to the words, but to the heart cries of His people. This thought alone should shake you right down to your nifty little sneakers! God is far more interested in setting the captives free than you and I are. Freedom was His idea first, not ours! When we start praying and moving back onto the field, fresh with a new strategy, we can bet that God has something up His sleeve that will knock the socks off the other team – even if we fall down a few times in the process!

So we raise our voices. We pray and we speak, not to convince God of anything (except our personal agreement with His Word), but to awaken a world that seems deaf to an obvious need. We pray in order to stir up our hearts and the hearts of those who will listen. We cry out for God to come and reveal His glory – His purposes and power – on the earth, so that men and women will be saved and set free. And when we do so, whether through our prayers or our groaning hearts (see Psalm 102 below), God answers:

John 14:13-14: Whatever you ask in My Name, that I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My Name, I will do it.

Matthew 21:22: And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.

Psalm 102:19-20: From heaven the Lord gazed upon the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to set free those who were doomed to death.

And one of my favorites: According to Proverbs 8, Jesus (who is here personified as wisdom) walks in the paths of justice**. If you want to know where Jesus is, and how to get your prayers answered, start walking the paths of justice with Him. Let Him open your eyes to what He sees there.

Conclusion

We are inadequate. We can’t solve every problem. We can’t address every issue. But we can pray. We can be a voice for the voiceless (Proverbs 31:8), reminding our fellow men that while we may be free, there are still those who suffer. The key is to follow God’s leading.

Take a moment and look into your Savior’s eyes. Where is He looking? Who is He looking at, besides you? (Yes I know, you’re His favorite!) How is He tugging at your heart right now?

Jesus was moved with compassion when He healed people on this earth. The Great Commission is still fueled by Great Compassion. Will you be the one He sends out into the fields?

Februray 7th Event Photos:

Bags of Hope filled and ready to go!

Our speakers: Anita Cunha, Jasmine Marino, & Sarah Dunham

The donations table: above and beyond all we could ask or think!

Think About It / Share Your Comments Below:

1. Read Philippians 2:3-4. (Hover over the verse to bring up the text.) How much of your prayer time involves praying for your own needs and wants? Do you regularly spend time praying for others besides yourself?

2. What modern-day problem or crisis impacts you, troubles you, or moves you the most? (It may be something that touches your family, such as a type of illness, or something broader, like homelessness or hunger.) Have you ever searched the scriptures to locate some verses you can pray in defense of those who struggle with that problem? If not, take some time today to look up a few. Write them down or memorize them, and begin targeting the issue with power-based prayers!

3. The spirit of deception is one of the strongest spirits holding people captive, especially in human trafficking systems. Prayer and the truth of God’s Word can break the power of this spirit. Read 2 Corinthians 4:4, then write a short prayer for others based on this Bible verse.

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