“In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name”
– John 16:23
While driving through central Mexico a few years ago some children approached our car selling mangos. We told them no thank you but they persisted. “Please buy some mangos – we are hungry!” One member of our team told the children that if they were really hungry theycould eat the mangos. We got a good laugh at the irony of the situation.
I think sometimes that we are like those little children. Sometimes God gives us what we need – but we overlook it.
Does that ever happen to you? It can happen in so many ways. In Mexico our job was evangelism among the thousands of migrant workers who pass through central Mexico every year. The workers live in common areas throughout the countryside called “work camps” – thousands of migrant workers lived in each camp. Our job was to share the gospel with them. There was no end of bigger and better tools that might have assisted us in this ministry. A bigger sound system, or a means to project the Jesus Film so that hundreds could see it at the same time, or a visit from doctors and dentists to help meet the medical needs of the workers. These were all good ideas and we benefited from many of them. But we had another important tool in our hands – a tool that we sometimes took for granted. The power of prayer.
The power of prayer is a tool greater than anything money can buy. It is more effective than years of education, and it is available to all Christians everywhere regardless of how many years of experience they might have. It is in fact the best and most important tool for evangelism. Every other tool – like movie projection systems, medical abilities, and even education – are ineffective if they are not used jointly with prayer. Prayer is effective even without any other tool at all. It is the only tool for evangelism that cannot be overlooked.
Like those children who held mangos in their hands while they were hungry, we must be careful to not overlook what we already have as we strive to serve God. The power of prayer.