International (MNN) — The Bible makes it clear that prayer is more than just empty words, but that prayer enacts change within God’s will. Global Disciples believes wholeheartedly in the power of prayer when it comes to their mission to reach the least-reached for the Great Commission.
That’s why Global Disciples has someone praying for the advance of God’s Kingdom and their ministry every hour of every day year-round.
The Prayer Chain
Barry* with Global Disciples says, “We have over 1,000 programs which are training programs for church planters focused on least-reached areas. Each of them is called to have an intercessory prayer team that supports them. We then use those teams and those teams are all over the world and invite them to choose an hour sometime during the month that they are going to pray every month.”
There are approximately 944 hours in a 31-day month, so the 1,000 teams easily cover each month with 24-hour continuous prayer. It’s been going on for a year now, and Global Disciples is planning to keep it going!
By covering their ministry in continuous prayer, these prayer teams are girding Global Disciples’ evangelists, church planters, and pastors in spiritual protection and providing round-the-clock encouragement as God opens doors for outreach.
If you would like to join a team or even create your own team of at least two or more people to take an hour of prayer for Global Disciples and missions to the least-reached, you can contact Global Disciples to learn more!
Prayer Journeys
But their focus on prayer doesn’t stop there. Global Disciples also has prayer trips that add a whole new dimension to the purpose and power of prayer.
(Photo courtesy of Global Disciples)
“We believe that prayer also is effective in breaking ground, in a sense, sowing seeds of faith and prayer and breaking ground in some new territories where we’re looking to push into with our programming, with our church planter training,” explains Barry.
These prayer trips consist of a small team, mostly of people from the region they’re going into. One of Barry’s latest prayer trips with Global Disciples was into Nigeria as Global Disciples hopes to push into northern Africa.
“I joined about four other people from Nigeria and we did a trip into one of the least-reached areas in that country and particularly spent about five days trekking in the area, praying as we went, and making a few connections with a little bit of the work that is being done in that region.”
Global Disciples primarily works in Africa and Asia with a few programs in Latin America as well. Other prayer trips have gone into Bhutan, Nepal, North Africa, and Morocco, just to name a few. And another trip is going on right now in Pakistan.
Mama Atima: An Intercessor’s Legacy
Those who are prayer warriors and intercessors with Global Disciples are planting seeds of faith and creating a legacy of Great Commission harvest. Barry shares the story of one such person named Mama Atima, a woman in her 60s who lived near northern Nigeria. Mama Atima was organizing another prayer trip for Global Disciples going once again into Nigeria.
The prayer trip into Nigeria was scheduled for late in September this year. The area they were venturing into was heavily Islamic and very difficult for ministry. But Mama Atima and the others pressed forward in faith.
Barry says she “had such a passion to see the Gospel moving into that region, so she was very excited about the trip and about moving into that area. On the way there, there was an automobile accident and in a little bit of a freak situation, she was injured seriously and lost her life shortly after getting to the hospital…. That was a really challenging season for me just over the last weeks.
“We know that this intercessor of ours lost her life and for many of us it grieves us to know we won’t get to pray alongside her anymore. Yet we believe that the seeds of her faith will rise up in that land and produce a harvest as well.”
They’ve had other challenges in their prayer trips as well from border arrests to scheduling changes. “I think it assures us that there’s Kingdom expansion happening and the enemy is not always so thrilled about some of the things that are taking place.”
Ways to Pray Today
For now, Global Disciples would love having the Body of Christ uplift these prayer points:
(Photo courtesy of Global Disciples via Facebook)
“The overall prayer of our hearts comes out of the Gospels where Jesus on two different occasions encouraged the disciples to pray that the Lord of the harvest would send more workers into the harvest fields that are ripe.”
Barry asks, “I would say right now, specifically, one of the areas that we’re really sensing God calling us into and struggling is the region of North Africa. So we would love to have people join us in praying for God to open doors that can’t be shut into North Africa.
“And, like I said, right at this moment we have someone who is in Pakistan on a prayer trip and trying to make some connections there, so that’s another region where we would love to have people praying into on our behalf, that God would give us favor in those regions.”
Click here for more prayer requests with Global Disciples at their website.
*Full name omitted for security purposes.
