Prayer is NOT the Lesser Work

by Mrs. Judy Edwards

And you are helping us by praying for us. en many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety (II Corinthians 1:11).

It’s probably safe to say this year has not been exactly as expected for anyone. Many things we often took for granted have been absent. We missed interactions we looked forward to with family, friends and other important relationships in our lives. Many have experienced health crises, lost businesses, faced nancial loss and many other life altering struggles. And our churches were closed for a period of time.

We tried to ll the void with digital meetings through Zoom, Facebook, etc. which were a blessing and for churches even spread to people who wouldn’t come to a church. ose e orts continue to be used thankfully and continue to be essential to many. But I believe we also learned those tools couldn’t fully replace the face to face fellowship of believers. ankfully we are all meeting again in some measure – at least for now. I think maybe we’ve all su ered from a dip in our ability to have the relational interaction that we crave and need with other believers.

I also believe that during this unusual season we had an awakening to the importance of prayer. When we couldn’t be together in person we could still intercede for one another. I feel sure many of you, like myself, had someone reach out to say the Lord brought you to mind and I’m praying for you just when you were feeling the weight of isolation. 12 The Connection

And you most likely reached out to someone the Lord brought to your mind just when they needed it. We know prayer is important, but during the most isolated time frames of Covid, I think we were reminded that it is ESSENTIAL. We were driven to our prayer closets more often, as prayer was the way we could touch others outside our own homes.

Have you ever said all I can do is pray or I can pray but I wish I could do more? We mean well when we say those phrases, but truly they misrepresent the priority of prayer! Please don’t view prayer as the least you can do, view it as Ephesians 6 shares – a weapon of warfare! Prayer can change ANYTHING and EVERYTHING! Remember who we are communicating with and listening to in prayer – the God of creation, the God of transformation, the Way, the Truth and the Life! When you are sincerely praying for another in intercession, you are carrying them to the throne of God – that is NEVER the lesser work. It is the greatest work.

Some of us are in communities that have nearly fully re-opened, others are still quite closed and some are moving back into earlier restrictions. But no matter where you are in this journey, let us not forget the awakening we experienced to the importance of praying for one another while we were isolated. As we reopen more and more and even when Covid becomes a past memory, don’t forget that awakening! May we ALWAYS be mindful of how essential it is to pray for one another – in good times and bad. Someone may be depending on your obedience to pray for them today.

I urge you, rst of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them (I Timothy 2:1 NLT).

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere (Ephesians 6:18 NLT).

Judy Edwards is the Chairman of the Evangelical Methodist Department of Prayer