Pray by His Power

My job, simply put, is to build relationships with people have the ability and desire to make significant investments into the ministry of Wycliffe and to be a link between them and strategic projects around the world.

To that end, I was on the road in a neighboring state last week. My first appointment did not go as well as I hoped. Then I tried to dropped-in on a couple were not at home. They lived in an area of town where neighborhood after neighborhood was of really high-end homes and massive estates. As I drove, I was prompted to pray in a way that is not at all normal for me.

But before I tell you how and what I prayed, I need to share a small portion of Andrew Murray's book "With Christ in the School of Prayer." Here's my paraphrase of one of the more insightful things from that book:

It is impossible to muster up, by our own initiative or decision, the degree of faith that is required to fulfill the teachings of Jesus in Mark 11:23-24. The faith required to pray like this can only come from God. Yet we should pray always seeking to receive from our Heavenly Father that kind of faith.

I found Murray's balanced and biblical thoughts on this to be very helpful in correcting many out-of-balance, though well-intentioned views (like the "Name it, claim it" idea, or Deterministic thinking among some theologians.)

Now let me take you back to that moment last week, driving through wealthy neighborhoods, and share that I prayed very specifically that God would:

• Release people from this very area,
• who have not given to Bible translation,
• and that they would learn about Vision 2025 and get excited about Wycliffe,
• and that they would excel in the grace of giving by making large and sacrificial gifts to this effort.

Then I went about my day...

I get back to the office a few days later and am contacted by someone in the home office. She explains that a donor called the main phone line recently and said "I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to commit to fund an entire translation and I'm going to send $50,000 right away..." My colleague in the home office explained the donor had a specific interest in one particular country and wanted to meet with someone about the specifics.

I hung up the phone and before dialing the donor, pulled up his address on my mapping software... and discovered his home is located literally between the two appointments I had earlier that week, right off the road I traveled as I prayed for God to release people from that very area to make large investment in our work.

I kid you not.

Yesterday, as I met with the donor and his wife, I shared this story. He said: "What day was that?"

"Tuesday," I replied.

"About what time?"

I looked at my schedule for that week and said "Well it must have been mid-morning."

"That is the exact day and time frame when I was prompted to make this gift" he said, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks. "We received this money unexpectedly about a week ago and have been waiting on the Lord to show us what we should do with it and then suddenly, as I sat at my desk abut 10 AM, I had the idea to completely fund a Bible translation in [country]!"

So, to me, this is a beautiful example of how God, because of his desire to share His joy, involved a His children in something He wanted to do. I'm thankful He chose to do it this way. Every time of think of Him moving in this way, I greatly encouraged.

~ Joshua