by Chuck Guth, vision trip participant
This is my third trip to Egypt—the first was 10 years ago. Not surprisingly, then, the trip brings both new experiences and insights but also deep memories of past interactions.
On my first trip I was profoundly moved by the earnest prayer at the Kasr El Dobara church’s prayer conference. It seems to me that much of our prayer in the Western Church is focused on our physical needs—issues of health, employment, comfort. My primary motivation for coming on this trip was to see what I might learn from the Egyptian Church about making our prayers in the West more God-centered, more strategic, more missional, more spiritual.
Yesterday we met with a ministry partner, and I made the question to him explicit: How can we pray for our churches and ministries in the way that became so transformative for the church here in Egypt? I appreciated his clear and concise answer.
Transformative prayer begins, he said, when we have a clear conviction of our dependence on God. If we assume we’re in control, or that we can pull off what we’re praying for, our prayer won’t go far. We need God!
Second, he emphasized the importance of recognizing the reality of the spiritual battle between God and His Kingdom and the kingdom of this world. Our prayers should echo Jesus’ prayer for His Father’s Kingdom to come and His will to be done.
Our partner’s third point was that prayer ministries need to be structured for people to become involved, and they require clear leadership to maintain a focus on the goal of prayer—God’s glory and God’s vision.
Finally, he talked about practical implementation of prayer meetings. His last comment was a trenchant “If you’re not praying, you’re not going anywhere.”
May our prayers in the American Church be as intentional as are the prayers of the Church in Egypt. And may we pray for our Egyptian sisters and brothers in this time of abundant hope and growth!
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