“We think rightly or wrongly about prayer according to the conception we have in our minds of prayer. If we think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts, we think rightly. The blood flows ceaselessly, and breathing continues ceaselessly; we are not conscious of it, but it is always going on. We are not always conscious of Jesus keeping us in perfect joint with God, but if we are obeying Him, He always is. Prayer is not an exercise, it is the life.”
Ministry for team seven:eleven while in Panama will be… prayer. For the short time that we are here, we will be partnering with John Mark Hansen and his wife in their ministry to the Chinese population of Panama. Panama is a country of mixed races, rivaling the US as Central America’s “melting pot”. 300,000 Chinese live in Panama, comprising 10% of the country’s population. Although over half of them are native Spanish speakers and have very little in common with their Chinese ancestors, racism and discrimination are rampant. Less than 500 of these Latin Chinese are Christians.
My initial reaction to the idea of spending the coming weeks prayer-walking around Panama was “Genius! An introvert’s dream – walking and prayer!” But as I think about it more and prepare to begin ministry, I realize, “Prayer is hard!” For one, I see other teams setting out to work in prisons or do ministry with orphans and at-risk teens, I immediately want to opt out of prayer because it seems so much more tangible to do something.
But also, the Lord is showing me not only the necessity of prayer, but the privilege of prayer. Without prayer, I wouldn’t be here now, and I know there are many prayers from friends, family, and strangers which are prayers that God has answered, that I may never know were even prayed. And as my team ventures out to the cities and villages of Panama to pray, I know that I most likely will see no fruit. But I also am learning to trust God, to know that each prayer offered in faith will be answered according to His purposes and His glory.
“Jesus never mentioned unanswered prayer; He had the boundless certainty that prayer is always answered. Have we by the Spirit the unspeakable certainty that Jesus had about prayer, or do we think of the times when God does not seem to have answered prayer? ‘Every one that asketh receiveth.’ God answers prayer in the best way, not sometimes, but every time, although the immediate manifestation of the answer in the domain in which we want it may not always follow. Do we expect God to answer prayer?“
-Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (26 May)
Come with me
Walk with me
Walking in my city
Una passeggiata
You and I
See the faces
From the daytime
Talking in the evening
See the churches shining
See the sky
