Summer 2012
This summer God taught me a lot about leading others through Word and prayer. It was easy for me to get caught up in trying to say all the right things when I had people following me, but God was faithful to show me how leading well starts by striving to be excellent in the “basics” before anything else.
1 Peter 4:11 “If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.”
Power of Prayer
Another truth that God has been continually teaching me since last summer is the power of prayer. A phrase that came out of one of our studies was “John 15:5 says ‘…apart from me you can do nothing’ and if you truly believe that you will pray.” This phrase was always one that would come to mind on days when it was hard for me to pray. It was a good reminder for me on the days when we would spend 4 or 5 hours prayer walking without any conversations. It reminded me that prayer for lost people is the foundation of anything happening in the future. It reminded me that if I’m not praying, I’m trying to rely on myself. There is always hope in prayer- even on the days when it is hard to pray- but the hope I have to offer in my own flesh is short-lived and very conditional. Some of the greatest days I remember from this summer were days when I had prayed intentionally for team members to have great conversations with people, and when they did I got to rejoice with them because that prayer had been answered!
Fervent Prayer
Toward the end of James, a man named Elijah is mentioned because he prayed fervently for 3 ½ years that it wouldn’t rain so God kept it from raining. God used this passage and ones like it to show me more clearly how I should pray and with what attitude to come into prayer with. “How often do I really pray fervently for anything?” is another question I asked myself . There are a lot of people and things I claimed to be passionate about, but my prayer life wouldn’t have proven much with how scattered and halfhearted I often allowed my prayers to be. God is still working in me showing me what it means to pray continually with an expectant heart. (1 Thess. 5:17)
God Cannot be Mocked
A verse I clung on to this summer was Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Wow! My questions flooded after spending time in this verse- “Who am I trying to fool when I’m only going through the motions? Why do I spend apathetic time in the Word and prayer? Of what worth is apathetic worship? (if we can even call it worship)” The questions that surrounded this verse were hard for me. I didn’t want to confess my apathy to God or to the community I was walking with. I wanted to fix it on my own and move on, but that was not going to work. I was embarrassed by how deceitful, self-seeking, and apathetic my heart was, but the reality is that if we don’t ask God to make the good news of Jesus Christ dying on the cross real to us every day then our hearts will continue to be deceitful, self-seeking, and apathetic because we are not dying to ourselves and taking up our cross if we are still focused on ourselves. (Matt. 10:38)
A Big Thank YOU
I’m not really sure what to write in this section because I want it to be more than the basic, “Thank you for your prayers and support” because I know that takes your role in all of this way too lightly. With all that I learned about prayer, I can honestly say that I don’t believe this summer would have gone as smoothly or that I would have learned as much as I did if it had not been for people at home praying for me every day. There were days where it was hard, but I was able to make it through because I had people interceding with God on my behalf. So, thank you for keeping me in your prayers throughout this summer because it really made all the difference. Please email me with any questions or if you just want to hear more about this summer!
Thanks again,
Caroline Adams
