If you’re like me, you may find yourself a bit overwhelmed by the amount of information you’re asked to take in each day, coming to you in so many different ways! Emails, text messages, phone calls, television programs, streaming services, social media, the internet, podcasts, radio – and, of course, the old-fashioned mailbox. And now you hold in your hands, or are viewing on your device, a copy of Together in Prayer. We hope that matters to you. It matters to us, and we believe it matters to our Lord Jesus. We serve him as our Master, and we believe that he is, in fact, the Lord and Master of all things, including media.
You may think that I’m referring to the media, meaning today’s news and entertainment industries, and surely, we would not omit those from all things over which our Lord is sovereign. However, I am using “media” in a much more elemental sense. Media may refer to any means or system of expression or communication, any thing or form or image that delivers information to you and engages you with that information. It comes from a Latin word meaning “the middle,” conveying meaning from one party to another, and achieving something in the process. Media can stimulate your thinking, touch your heart, inspire your imagination. Media can change your life. It can change the world. And God is the Master of media. Coming from him, it can do amazing things!
“In the beginning was the Word,” John proclaimed (John 1:1). With that Word – that “media” – God spoke and created the world and life and everything that is! With that Word revealed he now restores to life those who were dead in sin (1 Peter 1:23).
Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), indeed was, and still is, the Master of media, communicating the story of God’s merciful and redemptive Kingdom through compelling words, engaging stories, thought-provoking illustrations, and deeply meaningful actions. He has the message the world most needs! And now he calls and equips us to join him in this Kingdom work through our prayers and our proclaiming, placing at our disposal an ever- increasing myriad of media as powerful tools for this purpose.
Together in Prayer, in both printed and digital formats, is one such tool. It has been our primary, though certainly not our only, means for engaging people in prayer for about 15 years. Prior to that, we published the monthly Fellow Workers magazine. Our dear sister and faithful fellow worker Deb, for whom we are so grateful, has been part of both efforts, and has served for the last 10 1/2 years as chief editor of what we affectionately call “the TIP.” Deb is now stepping out of that responsibility and will serve primarily in our business office, where her skills will be much appreciated. Chris, another vital and appreciated member of our Prayer Mobilization Team, will assume responsibilities for the TIP, bringing to it – and to you, as our readers and prayer partners – a continued focus on the unreached of the world, with the same attention and thoughtfulness that he has applied to the TIP+, our twice-monthly email prayer update. Eventually, we envision further developments in our use of other media, including our presence on the internet. We believe that all of this media matters because the message matters. And prayer matters. The unreached of the world especially matter! And you matter, too! Finally, of course, our Master matters most of all!
Here are a few other “matters” I want to bring to your attention, and hopefully to your prayers:
- As we transition the leadership for the TIP, we will take one month off. This means that there will be no Together in Prayer for next month, the month of July. However, you will receive the TIP again in August.
- Please join us in praying during this transition, thanking God for Deb’s faithful service, and asking him to inspire and equip Chris for this new work, which might eventually include some changes to how we engage you in prayer with this important media.
- While you’re praying for them, please also pray that God will provide for the World Mission Prayer League a new worker, or workers, who have passion, creativity and expertise for writing, strategic communications, and media production. We are especially desiring to develop and expand our use of video and social media.
In addition to praying, if you know of a fellow follower(s) of Jesus who has such training or skills, please let us know, or let them know. We’d love to talk with them. We’d love to see how they might join us in serving the Master of media and the Master of our mission.