You’re part of something BIG! Don’t let it be little.
As I shared with you last month, although the World Mission Prayer League is an agency that sends workers into God’s global harvest fields, we are first and foremost a “community of fellow believers committed to praying together for the unreached peoples of the world.” We do this at our Lord’s command: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2 ESV)
This is no small thing. Praying is no small thing. Jesus promised that “whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13 ESV) James affirmed, “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16b ESV)
What we pray for is no small thing either. In the world today there remain over 7,400 unreached people groups, and these groups consist of over 3.3 billion individuals, just over 42 percent of the world’s population. We pray that through the hearing of the Gospel, they would come to know Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior, something that the Apostle Paul said was of such surpassing value that he counted everything else as worthless! (see Philippians 3:8)
We publish and share this publication, Together In Prayer (TIP), with the conviction that our work of prayer is no little thing. And we do so as a “league” that is no little league! As you read and pray through the TIP, you are joining thousands more across the U.S. and Canada, and even around the world. You are part of our “league.” You might think of sports, or even super heroes, when you hear that word, but it has long stood for groups that come together for a common purpose. It comes from the Latin word ligare, meaning “to bind.” We are “bound together” first and foremost by the love of Christ (see Colossians 3:14), but also by his purpose, his power, and even his prayer. (See John 17:20-23)
This is BIG for God! Some may consider our prayers “small,” but with God’s power and blessing, even what seems small is not. He’s listening and he’s answering. Remember what Jesus did with five loaves and two fish? He’s doing the same thing around the world today as he multiplies the efforts of his harvest laborers, bringing many to faith. In some parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, the church of Christ is expanding as never before!
You see, our prayers matter, and so our “prayer league” matters. It’s a big thing! Don’t let it be little. Don’t let it be something less than God might want it to be. Allow me to suggest some ways you could make this powerful work of prayer for God’s mission more prominent in your life. After all, our league is no little league! Here are a few ways you can “step up to the plate” so the big becomes bigger.
- Where 2 or 3 are gathered… Get together with some church members or other friends for some coffee, and to read and pray through the TIP as a group.
- Come to a Prayer Meeting. All kinds of fellow WMPL people gather to “Ask for the Nations.” Every 1st Tuesday of the month we do so in-person at our Mission Home in Minneapolis. Every 3rd Tuesday we do so on Zoom. For more information send an email to prayer@wmpl.org.
- Give a TIP. Share your copy of Together In Prayer with someone. Maybe encourage them to go to our website and sign up: wmpl.org/praying-community.
- Visit us online. wmpl.org is loaded with inspiration, information, connection, and more. Check us out.
- Visit us in person. Are you coming to the Twin Cities area some time? We’d love to have you stop by our headquarters. Maybe give us a call or email beforehand. We’d love to have you join us for prayer or Bible study every weekday morning
at 10:00 AM. - You’ve got email! You can receive the TIP via email, but also TIP+ (twice-monthly prayer updates) and Prayerflash (urgent prayer requests). Send requests or questions to prayer@wmpl.org.
- Connect directly with one of our workers. Find a WMPL worker on our website and join their prayer team: wmpl.org/fellow-workers.
- Come to Camp! For the first time post-shut down, we’re holding our truly inspirational weekend camp at Okoboji Lutheran Bible Camp in Iowa March 31 – April 2, 2023. For more information email wmpl@wmpl.org.
- Finally, why not invite us to your place? WMPL workers regularly visit congregations and other groups to preach, speak, or lead workshops on prayer and missions. Email us at prayer@wmpl.org. Being able to share with you and your fellowship would be something really big for us!