![]() He gathers the waters of the sea into jars he puts the deep into storehouses. Psalm 33:6-9 shows how powerful God’s words are:īy the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. Help him know that You give your sheep everything they need, that You will guide and protect him as he follows Your laws and decrees, and so forth.” Karen says, “When we pray God’s word back to Him, we are praying the most powerful words we can pray.” Karen believes that it honors God when we pray His words. ![]() “Dear Lord, please lead _ to want You as his shepherd who watches over him with love and brings him rest and refreshment. What is praying scripture? IFI staff Karen Oliver explains “It’s taking scripture and turning it into a prayer.” For example you can pray Psalm 23 for a new believer or for an international student who wants to know more about Jesus. Praying the scriptures can be a great way to benefit the internationals in your life. If so, consider praying God’s words instead of your own. Maybe you want to pray for international students you know, but are not sure where to begin or what to pray. Weekly we hear stories of people who showed up at just the right time to see the right people under the right conditions. Jim continues, “I t is obvious to me that our people are praying for themselves, each other, and for the ministry. This story of the Brazilian student’s openness to the things of God is just one example of answered prayer. Praying is an act of faith for those who pray and a testimony to those who will eventually believe in Jesus.” Because we know that God accomplishes through prayer things that we could never do on our own, we go forward in faith on our knees. Therefore, although I was pleasantly surprised, I was not shocked when a Brazilian student on a soccer scholarship turned to me after new student orientation in August and asked, ‘Do you think someone can take me to church while I’m here?’ Since then, he and I have discussed faith, Old Testament Bible stories, luck, the Holy Spirit speaking to us, and who Jesus is. “Our volunteers at Illinois Central College in East Peoria prayed for us for many months before we ever stepped foot on the campus. ![]() However, when we pray to God, somehow barriers are removed that would prevent people from hearing and accepting and believing the good news about Jesus.” But we cannot force anyone to believe our message. As Christians, our mission is to live a life that exemplifies Jesus Christ and to share why we have hope in Him. Long ago I learned from a Senegalese colleague that you can’t force anyone to do anything. IFI staff Jim Hanes shares one story that demonstrates the power of prayer: “ Our family lived as missionaries in Senegal for 16 years. Do you believe that you can make a difference in international students’ lives simply by praying for them? Read on! Scripture is powerful because it comes from the all-powerful God of heaven and earth, who cares deeply about every aspect of our lives. What happened next affected the entire earth! Prayer is powerful because God responds to it. ![]() In Revelation 8:4 we see the results of such faithfulness: prayers going up like incense before God, shaping His world! The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. In the introduction to his small but powerful book Handbook to Prayer, Kenneth Boa (1993) states, “Spiritual growth is impossible apart from the practice of prayer… The key to a growing relationship with the personal God of heaven and earth is time invested in speaking to Him in prayer and listening to His voice in Scripture.”Īs we pray God’s words, we grow and those we pray for do, too! Boa continues, “Praying scripture… will enable you to think God’s thoughts after Him and to personalize them in your own thinking and practice.”
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