Pray Without Ceasing
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
For over 70 years, the first Thursday in May has been recognized as the National Day of Prayer in the United States.
We’ve got some prayer requests for you today.
1. Pray that the love of Christ would be evident in all that we do. As a Christian nonprofit focusing on community development projects and not directly evangelism, we still want people to come to know the love of Christ and the grace, peace, and new beginning He offers.
Pray that the realities of the Gospel would be real and powerful for all on our team and ask that God would equip those who are ready to faithfully share about the confident hope they have in Christ (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Pray that our staff would draw near to Him and trust in Him in all seasons.
Pray that God would use us to restore families and draw near to the brokenhearted and encourage those who’ve felt downtrodden, forgotten, or unworthy.
2. Pray for healing and redemption for the children, families, and young adults we serve. Pray that God would remind them of their worth as those created in His image, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139-13-14).
Pray that God would free them from feelings of guilt, shame, unworthiness, etc. Many of those we serve have experienced neglect, abuse, family-separation, abandonment, and other traumas that can leave wounds that seem as if they would never heal. But our God is mighty to save, and we can draw near to Him and experience peace (Psalm 34:18).
Even if these traumas will not all be healed fully on this side of eternity, pray that God would bring peace and redemption into their difficult circumstances, and that they would draw near to Him and experience peace.
3. Pray that God would strengthen and equip our team. This work can take a great emotional toll, as many of our team members are forced to face some of the world’s deepest brokenness.
Our social workers and psychologists on the ground have deep love and compassion for the people they serve, and that means helping them carry their burdens and heal from past traumas.
If you’ve ever had a loved one go through a difficult season or experienced great loss, you know that even second-hand this pain can leave you feeling heartbroken and defeated. Our staff have decided to dive right into the pain for dozens of vulnerable children, families, and young adults, willingly allowing their hearts to be broken.
Pray that they also would draw near to God to experience His peace, and remember that strength can be found in Him when we truly trust Him (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).
4. Pray that God would soften hearts in Huehuetenango. We would love to see a city transformed by the Gospel, and we would love to see dozens of Christian families lining up to be foster parents and welcome children into their homes.
Pray that God would soften the hearts of His people towards the needs of the “orphans and widows” (James 1:27) and that He would use His church to meet the needs of the vulnerable children and families of Huehuetenango.
Everyone can do something, and there are certainly more than enough families who would make wonderful foster homes for children temporarily separated from family care.
Pray that God would help us to continue to grow our foster care network as He sees fit so that we can provide homes in place of orphanages/institutions. There are thousands (estimates range from around 3,800 - 10,000) of kids currently living in institutions, and only a little over 100 foster families in Guatemala right now. Pray that we would see those numbers shift.
5. Pray that God would continue to grant us favor in the eyes of local and national authorities. We have been fortunate to have the support of not just the local children’s court, but also the national government in Guatemala.
It took a few years of work, but our foster care program has the support of the Guatemalan government, allowing us to train, recruit, and manage a network of foster care families in Huehuetenango.
As far as we know, we’re the only organization managing a foster care network in the entire department of Huehuetenango (an area with a population of over one million people). Pray that God would allow us to remain in good standing with local and national authorities so that we can continue to serve the community of Huehuetenango and offer vital support services.
6. Pray that God would provide for all of our needs. Offering so many services to the community free of charge means that we must rely on the generosity of others.
Pray that God would grant us all the funding and resources we need to continue to meet the needs of the vulnerable children, families, and young adults who are currently relying on us, and also to be able to continue to grow our foster care network. In our current financial situation we are unable to grow our programs, though the need is great.
Alongside a prayer would you consider making a financial gift today so that we are able to continue serving Huehuetenango and hopefully soon even grow our programs to be able to better meet the needs of this community? We know that God provides, and that He often does so through the generosity of His followers.
Last but not least, pray also that God would give us wisdom at all times so that we’re able to make decisions that glorify Him.