Call to Prayer: Reflecting Christ in Relationships
We want to reflect that, in every area of our lives, we are shaped by spiritual transformation.
By David and Marta (names changed)
As believers, all areas of our lives should be impacted by our identity as Christians, and one aspect of that is prayer. A passage that has been important for David, in relation to prayer, is John 11:41-42, when Jesus visits the tomb of Lazarus. Jesus prayed, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me” (NIV). This has impressed upon him the importance of prayer not just being for us in private, but that prayer is also for others through public expressions of prayer.
In our Central Asian country, there are opportunities for David to pray in public settings—at the beginning of meetings, for example. The traditions here are that people typically pray at the end of meals, and the oldest person prays. David is often the oldest, so he takes the opportunity to lead in prayer, asking God for blessings on the people we’re with. David wants to be recognized as a man of God by friends and neighbors. His prayers with people should also reflect this desire of his heart. While David is the one in a professional role, Marta has a role in this by supporting him in prayer, asking the Lord to open doors for relationship in his work setting.
Our desire is that we can beautifully reflect Christ in our relationships, among our family and with others.
Recently, we’ve been thinking about how prayer was a practice in the church we attended in the past. We have often prayed for God to open doors in relationships with neighbors, and asked God to provide opportunities, guiding us in how we relate to them, and the words that we use. We follow many of the same patterns here: asking the Lord to give us wisdom in the relationships we have, negotiating the cultural differences and asking for the right words in these conversations. We want to reflect that, in every area of our lives, we are shaped by spiritual transformation.
We also pray for the gospel to be preached in all nations. It was through prayer that the Lord placed the burden on our hearts to work cross-culturally with this message of good news.
We want to reflect Christ in our lives here; that is the most important aspect of our vision for our work in this country. Our Muslim neighbors are often outwardly religious, but there are often underlying longings. Prayer helps us connect with what is below the surface.
As we serve here in Central Asia, we can testify to God’s provision. There were so many barriers and obstacles that we had to overcome to even be here. We couldn’t do this on our own; it was only through God’s work and provision. God is praying through our own prayers. And it’s not just us, but also the concern of how our children will adjust and adapt here. We have seen how God has provided in this area: friends and connections in our former setting and now in our new location. And we have also seen God’s provision back home, especially in bringing brothers and sisters around Marta’s parents to care for them as their only child is serving far away.
The larger body of Christ can join us in prayer for the local believers here, and for their spiritual growth. Ask God to keep the door open for them to gather and grow in discipleship. Pray that the Lord will prepare the hearts of those who do not yet believe to hear and receive the good news about Jesus. Our biggest desire is to be connected to a circle of local believers and other friends with whom we can share the gospel. It’s easy to surround ourselves with others who are also foreigners in this country, but that’s not our purpose.
Pray for open doors for these relationships, and for our family as we serve here. Our desire is that we can beautifully reflect Christ in our relationships, among our family and with others. We want to be here as long as the Lord permits. Please support us in this work by asking God to nurture our spiritual growth and for the cultivation of our own discipleship. Our work of sharing new life in Jesus with our neighbors will overflow from this.
David and Marta (names changed) are tranSend interns serving on the Central Asia Launch Team.