Prayer Is the Work

SEPTEMBER 4, 2023   |   2.5 MINUTE READ
JANE DOE AS TOLD BY BETSY TEJEDA, MISSIONARY ON THE TEXAS/MEXICO BORDER

Have you heard of intercessory prayer? It's prayer for someone else. Intercessory prayer is you and God, in a room, and you're bringing the other person before Almighty God.

And this is important because someone else's salvation and relationship with Jesus is deeply impacted by someone else praying for them. Dennis Kinlaw went as far as saying the key to a person's salvation rests in the other. In other words—your intercessory prayer for someone may be the thing that leads them to a relationship with Christ.

One of our missionaries, Betsy Tejeda, saw this take place first-hand. And she was reminded that prayer is not how work begins—prayer is the work.

Women entering The Sparrow’s Nest encounter more than a boutique; they witness the power of prayer.

Sharon* was leaving The Sparrow’s Nest clothing closet and food pantry one day when I asked her for an update on a prayer request she had shared a few weeks earlier. Sharon’s friend had asked for prayer on behalf of her mother, who had been hospitalized recently. I asked Sharon how her friend’s mother was doing, and she replied, “Oh, she’s about to go home! It’s a miracle!”

I’ve often seen miracles like this happen in the Taylor Community Center, the location in which Sparrow’s Nest exists. Since August 2022, The Sparrow’s Nest has served over 100 new families. That’s over 100 new families being influenced by the power of prayer. When new families come in, a staff member takes their name, and writes it on a notecard. We pray for a batch of the group from the notecards every week at our prayer meetings.

If you’ve grown up in a religious environment, you might be used to someone praying for you every day. Some of the families coming into the boutique might have never had someone pray for them, though. They may not realize the impact prayer has until they experience it themselves.

Volunteers make The Sparrow's Nest Boutique a welcoming place.

As Sharon was telling me about a miracle after weeks of prayer, another woman entered The Sparrow’s Nest and overheard our conversation. The woman asked to talk with me, and began to tell me some of her testimony. She asked me to pray for her, even though she was not a believer. She was so captivated by prayer’s impact on Sharon’s life that she wanted to experience it herself.

The power of prayer is so evident that women like those entering The Sparrow’s Nest can’t help but take notice. Another WGM missionary, Cynthia Zimmerman, leads a discipleship class at the Taylor Community Center. A woman who had been attending the Sparrow’s Nest for a while recently expressed a desire to know God and a hunger to attend Cynthia’s discipleship class!

WGM staff and volunteers praying before the annual women's conference, which Sparrow's Nest ladies were invited to attend.

Many of the women that come to The Sparrow’s Nest have noticed the impact of prayer and are starting to share in our desire for them to connect with God. Just as missionaries on the border are praying for the families involved in their ministry, each of us should intercede on behalf of those around us.

Prayer can impact lives in ways we could never imagine. When God calls us to pray for one another, He knows the influence it can make on others. And as we begin praying fervently for others, we may find that our lives have changed too.

*name changed for privacy

ACTION STEPS

GO: God is on the move in McAllen, Texas. Would you consider joining or creating a team to go and take part in the transformational work God is doing? Learn more about serving with WGM on a short-term trip!

PRAY: Prayer is moving through the hearts of those who visit the Taylor Community Center. It is spreading like a wildfire, and those who may have never been prayed for before are seeing the fruit of Jesus! Will you join the prayer movement and text PRAYWITHWGM to 55498 to receive prayer requests?

GIVE: Partner with The Sparrow’s Nest to provide not just for the physical needs of the McAllen community, but also the spiritual needs. By pouring into this ministry, you’re ensuring that missionaries are able to connect with more people to share the love of Christ and the power of prayer.

Author Bio: Betsy and Gerson Tejeda have been serving on the Texas/Mexico Border since 2010. They are involved in sports ministries and discipleship, among other outreach programs.