This morning I will head to the church. For the past ten years I have been involved with the Women's Mission Circle Outreach group that meets twice a month. My initial visit was because a dear sister-in-Christ, and long-time spiritual mentor, was going to share her personal testimony. I attended to support and encourage her. All it took was one visit for me to be drawn into this precious gathering. These dear ladies all had such a heart for the global spread of the gospel. For the most part, at that time, they were all much older than myself, and I think they enjoyed this younger gal showing interest in an area of ministry that was so tender to their hearts.
At each meeting we read the missionary letters that had arrived over the course of the previous two weeks, and then spend time in prayer, praising God for answers and lifting requests before His throne of grace. I always love when we receive some quick correspondence from our missionary friends, rejoicing in a provision of the Lord that came as a direct answer to prayer. We join the celebration and lift hearts of thankfulness to our Heavenly Father.
Why is prayer so often the final thing we do? Why does it become our last resort? When we can do nothing else, we resign ourselves to pray when in reality it should be our first response. Praying for the advancement of the Good News of Jesus Christ and for the salvation of others, needs to be a continual longing from our lips to God's ears.
Jesus clearly presented the call to evangelism when He encouraged all believers to go and make disciples in Matthew 28. That command is for every generation until the return of the Lord, yet mission-minded groups are few and their meetings small in attendance. What will it take to inspire a fresh desire to see "the Lord's message spread rapidly and be honoured wherever it goes"? Prayer.
In the late 1700's William Carey was one of the first and most famous evangelical missionaries. His name became synonymous with mission work, and he became the eponym of several Christian schools. But how many people know his friend Andrew Fuller? Not being called by God to physically go and spread the Gospel cross-culturally, Andrew still had a vital role in evangelism. Before leaving for his mission in India, Carey said to Fuller, "I will go down in the pits, if you will hold the ropes." Fuller stayed home and "held the ropes" as Carey shared the message of salvation to unreached people groups.
A key role of a rope-holder is to pray fervently and consistently for those commissioned to foreign fields, petitioning for specific needs and rejoicing in God's answers. Rope-holders play a vital part in both the support and spread of the gospel.
Mission work is enabled by rope-holders. They are the ones who till the ground through prayer until there is a harvest of spiritual fruit. There is a beautiful, divine partnership between those who labour faithfully in locations around the globe and those on bended knee in quiet rooms. Make it your mission to never let go of the rope.
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