Hope for Discouragement

How exciting it is to pray together about world church mission and see God work!

Janet Page serves as associate ministerial secretary for pastoral

I was nervous when he came! Silently I would pray, “Please, Lord, let him see that praying together makes a difference.” Privately, I kept crying out to God. I just knew he would be bored.

I led a weekly prayer group at the conference headquarters. The team included church members who believed in the power of united prayer and had promised to keep confidentiality. We wanted to pray for and with our workers about their ministries, their families, and personal requests. We kept a log of requests and answers.

Slowly, word spread, and people began to come pray with us and share their requests. Heather, the wife of a departmental director, was impressed to join us. She told her husband about it and encouraged him to join her.

Bill was a young executive—analytical, intelligent, fast moving, a get-it-done kind of guy. He had a very real prayer life, a connection with God, and had fasted and prayed many times. With his energy level decreasing, his joy in ministry fading, and growing doubt and fear, he questioned whether he was the wrong man for the job. He was tasked with developing the student literature ministry program.

But teens and college students were not interested in spending a summer selling books door to door. Finding locations, lodging, and vehicles were just a few of Bill’s many challenges. He was very experienced with this ministry, but no matter what successful methods he tried, responses were meager.

As Heather describes, Bill caught the flavor of people praying together over issues and thought it was a good idea. He attended every time his schedule allowed. Changes began, and miracles happened. Bill would come in praising God and sharing how God was working. He would say things like, “Well, we knelt and prayed for one hour, and this is what happened.”

The program began to grow, and Bill got excited as he saw his prayers answered. Young people were signing up. Logistics and challenges were solved. In time, a waiting list became the challenge.

Today the program has increased from one to fifteen teams. Thousands of pieces of literature have been sold (scholarships for Adventist schools are also part of the program). Many Bible studies have been given, and baptisms have followed. Leaders for related ministries have been trained. Other conferences have started literature ministries programs too.

Now Bill is bringing young leadersin-training into the prayer group to experience how God works through united prayer. He became a believer and has led hundreds to experience the power of praying together. In this issue you’ll find an article on prayer by Bill and Heather. I think you’ll enjoy it!

“If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:19, 20, KJV).

If you haven’t yet, I hope you will go to our Revival and Reformation website (revivalandreformation.org) and sign up for United in Prayer. Thousands are finding it a blessing that deepens and grows their spiritual lives. Plus, how exciting it is to pray together about world church mission and see God work!