Prayer is the WORK!

The phone on the other end was ringing when one of my teammates started in as usual. “Hi, my name is Cassie from Youth With A Mission Tyler, Texas.” Throughout the month hundreds of people across the planet get a phone call from our team here in East Texas. The people we talk to have already expressed some desire for discipleship in their life. Our team is ready to coach them in the right direction.

After making hundreds of those kind of phone calls myself, it’s easy to get jaded in attitude because it’s hard to know if it really matters.

A little bit ago I was sharing in a Crossroads Discipleship Training School (CDTS), and I asked how they, mostly people 35 -70 years of age, made the huge decision to pack up their lives for five months and spend it in discipleship training.

A very articulate woman, let’s just say of seasoned years, quickly spoke out. God had spoken to her about discipleship and missions, and she was already prepping by selling all she had to follow the Lord. She reached out to many ministries across the country to see what she and her daughter could plug into.

When these ladies talked to my co-worker Cassie, however, something really different happened over the phone. At the end of the call Cassie said, “Can I pray with you right now about all of this?” After a few moments they hung up. Silence. She and her daughter immediately looked at each other and said, “Well we know where we are going to serve God.” YWAM Tyler was the ONLY ministry to pray with them about the decision they were making with their lives.

Recently, I was rocked by the expression “Prayer is the Work.” I’ve known prayer is important; we should do it and not forget to. But this was the first time I thought about it actually as part of my work day. Not a token, unspoken thought toward the ceiling, but an intentional step to stop the physical work and engage in the spiritual work of prayer.

Does it make a difference? After hearing Cassie’s story, you bet it does. How can you be more proactive to include prayer as part of your work? I read this from Job 12:4 this week. “Yet my friends laugh at me, for I call on God and expect an answer.”

---

EXCITING NEWS ALERT:

February 2-5, we are heading to Asbury University for a really big event. It’s big because it could have a significant impact in Audrey’s college career. She’s been invited to participate in a scholarship competition where she’ll submit a resume and essay, perform a presentation, and attend a special banquet. She will be one of many vying for 75% and 100% tuition scholarships to Asbury.

We are praying she’ll do really well. It might be the very financial provision we’ve been praying for. However, even if she doesn’t win, we believe these days are an important part of her story God is writing. We are asking God to guide and provide for us in this time and are thankful for this great learning experience we get to have together.

Would you commit to pray for her and us? She’s been hard at work creating the material she’ll use for the competition. We had fun shopping this past weekend for the required “business attire” for her presentation. The drive is long for a short time, but we look forward to having these days together. We plan to stay at Asbury Inn and can’t wait to learn more about the little town of Wilmore, KY. We are trusting the Lord to provide all we need for these days.

Thank you for praying with us. February 4th specifically is the day Audrey will give her presentation. Please mark your calendars to pray that day!

Thank you for your continued prayer and support for our family in missions.