Ministry Highlight: Prayer

One Sunday, I found myself surrounded by pastors, elders and those people who I look up to at church, praying for our Sunday service. It was just my first year of moving in Canada and attending WIMO when Bro. Ian Lu and Ptr. Joven Quilacio asked me if I wanted to be a part of the prayer ministry. Without a second thought, I said yes. Because of the need in the ministry and my desire to serve, I know that God answered my prayer that day.

D.L. Moody rightly said, “It is foolish and wicked to try to do God’s work without God’s power. But, there is no way for Christians to have God’s power except by prayer”. It can be said that prayer is the backbone of the church. The last message of the Lord to his disciples was: Watch and pray (Matt. 26:41).

“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”

We believe that a christian should pray about practically everything and that a life of prayer is necessary for understanding heavenly things. We know as christians, that we can lift up our problems, praises, and requests to the Lord, and in the Church, we do so in a systematic way with prayer requests and praise reports collected each Sunday. As a member of the prayer ministry, it is so evident just how God is faithful to each and everyone, how powerful prayer is and how God is moving. From travelling mercies, to complete healing of those who are sick, and provision for individual lives and for the church. Just recently, we as a church witnessed how God stretched our faith and tested us through prayer and petition. For months we prayed for our own place to worship God, and after several setbacks He answered our prayers.

Our ministry heads came up with a system that we will gather all the prayer requests each Sunday, organize them on a spreadsheet, and pray for them corporately all throughout the week. In our monthly prayer worship sessions, we bring the church’s needs and problems to the Lord and seek His guidance for the ministry. The ministry also comes up with a prayer calendar each month containing general prayer concerns for the church and the leaders as well as church activities that are in need of prayer.

What I learned as a member in the prayer ministry was how to be a worker in the background. It is a humbling and amazing experience to watch how God moves through prayer — how He changes lives, heals the sick, and does the impossible. I always wanted to do more, especially as a member starting out in the prayer ministry, I was hungry to serve, but now I realize that God was teaching me how to wait, how to be faithful and honest in the ministry work He gave you.

As Jesus said in Luke 16:10, “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities.”

We are all responsible for keeping the prayer life of the church alive. Whether you’re part of the ministry or not, as christians, it is our duty to pray and to consistently intercede, that we might be able to fulfill the Great commission.

Matthew 18:19-20, “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

— Faith Azarcon