In The Message paraphrase of Matthew 6, Jesus’ teaching on prayer says, “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply” (Matthew 6:7-13 The Message).
Our vision at Every Home for Christ is very simple: to serve the Church to reach every home on earth with the Gospel. Every day, all over the world, our teams are working to make it as simple as possible for local churches to engage in the Great Commission work of reaching their communities: simple strategies, simple resources, simply mandated by Christ and fueled by prayer.
Here in the USA, the work is the same. We want to see US churches embracing the task of reaching their communities with the gospel hope of Jesus. We want to make it simple for churches to connect with the wider body of Christ in reaching the lost. We want to make it simple for believers to share their faith. We want to make it simple for anyone to respond to the invitation of Jesus and find belonging in His family.
Jesus invites us to a life of simple prayer. No formula or program will save America; there is no biblical technique for transforming a nation. Instead, we are called to pray. We pray, trusting we are in conversation with our Father: a good Father who loves us. We pray, surrendering our longings to a God who knows our needs (and the needs of those for whom we pray) much better than we do. We pray—we simply pray.
More than anything, the USA—and our team here at EHC USA—needs your prayer. Pray for the church in America to be stirred toward a life of simple prayer. Pray for that life of prayer to lead the church outside its walls to the doorsteps of the lost. Pray for boldness, for tenderness, and for love in the hearts of church leaders. Pray for unity across the lines of geography and tradition and difference. Pray knowing you are in conversation with your Father, and he knows the needs of America far more clearly than we could ever hope to see.
How often we overcomplicate the simplest of things in the way of Christ, and how often we presume to know our needs when trusting surrender is all that is asked of us. As you pray for America during these 40 days, I encourage you to remember Jesus’ words. You do not need a formula or a program to become a “prayer warrior” for America. You are already an intercessor of simple, powerful, and transformative prayer.
If you would like to learn more about the EHC USA ministry initiative, visit www.encounterlife.com. If you would like EHC’s US Prayer Map—a visual aid to simplify your times of prayer for the USA—click here to download or request your free copy today.
