How to Pray Through May with UBA

This is the third article in a four-part series that emphasizes the need to pray each day in the month of May for our churches that are preparing to go to some of the hardest to reach peoples and places in the world.

Article 1 emphasized the urgent need for prayer.

Article 2 encouraged us to pray for the promised harvest.

Article 3 challenges us to pray for laborers.

I want to challenge you to pray each day in the month of May.

Join us as we pray for an abundant Kingdom harvest as our churches go.

This summer, churches of the Union Baptist Association will go to some of the hardest to reach peoples in some of the hardest to reach places in our world. Others will travel across town to welcome refugees, teach English as a Second Language, and lead Vacation Bible Schools, along with a host of other outreach efforts. 

They need us to pray for the harvest.

Jesus said, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:37-38, CSB)

Whether your church goes across the street or around the world, no significant kingdom advance will come apart from fervent prayer. It never has. I think it’s safe to say that it never will.

Prayer is important

We had been in East Asia as IMB missionaries for about 6 months. We worked with a hard-to-reach people in a hard-to-reach place. We were the third missionary attempt in the last 120 years to reach this people group. The first two efforts ended in death before the missionaries even arrived on the field. We made it to the field safe and sound. But despite our best efforts, we couldn’t pry a door open for the gospel. 

“Doors we couldn’t pry open in our own strength had miraculously opened through prayer. ”

Then we learned that a team from one of our Baptist universities wanted to come and pray. That’s all they wanted to do, and that’s about all they did. They walked the neighborhood each morning and prayed. They walked the same neighborhood each afternoon and prayed. We gathered most evenings and prayed. We traveled to neighboring cities and prayed. For a week, they joined us in prayer for the harvest.

At the end of that week, we had about a dozen gospel connections. Doors we couldn’t pry open in our own strength had miraculously opened through prayer. Over time, half of those connections gave their lives to Christ.

Find out what your church is doing and pray

The best place to start praying is for what your church is doing. Here are a few suggestions: 

1. Get a list of summer outreach efforts. You call the church office or talk with ministry leaders. Watch the bulletin or newsletter for outreach events. Mark these on your calendar.

2. Get a list of those participating. Remember that some participants are going to areas that do not welcome an overtly Christian witness. Ministry leaders might be reluctant to share participants’ names. You can always leave your name along with some contact information and welcome participants to get in touch with you. 

3. Get specific requests. Depending on the nature of the outreach, ask for requests concerning personal safety, health, preparation, travel, and finances. Don’t forget to ask how you can pray for boldness, divine appointments, and fruitfulness.

4. Contact them from time to time to let them know you’re praying. This encourages those going out on mission. It also keeps you up to date with emerging needs.

5. Enlist the homebound to pray with you. Plan a time to visit if you can. Pray together.

6. Enlist your Sunday School or Small Group to adopt a mission effort. Work with your small group leader to set aside some time to pray.

7. Follow up after the event. Take a few minutes to hear what God has done. Pray with them, thanking God for their willingness to go and His faithfulness to send.

Find out what other churches are doing and pray

Churches all over are doing Kingdom work this summer. Support them with your prayers as well.

“You can play a part in gospel advance as you join us to pray in the month of May.”

1. Visit the UBA website and find the UBA churches near you. The website has a church map that lists all the churches of our association. Churches appear on the map as blue teardrops. Click on the teardrop and you’ll see a little information about the church.

2. Select a church. Visit their website to learn about their outreach efforts. Or contact the church office. Tell them who you are, what church you’re from, and that you’d like to know how you can pray for their summer outreach activities.

3. Contact Mission Centers of Houston and ask how you can pray and serve (info@missioncenters.org).

How to Pray

1. Pray regularly. You might find it helpful to set aside a time each day to pray. Consider mealtimes or just before bed.

2. Pray with others. Lead your family to pray. Pray with the homebound. Lead your Sunday School or Small Group to pray. 

3. Pray specifically. When possible, get names and needs. 

4. Pray with the Bible as your guide. The Bible promises us that “If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of him.“ (1 John 5:14-15, CSB) We pray according to his will when the Bible is our guide.

No significant kingdom advance will take place apart from fervent prayer. Yet, kingdom advance is urgently needed among these hard to reach people living in hard to reach places. You can play a part in that advance as you join us to pray in the month of May.

As the Senior Consultant for Sending Pathways, Cris Alley helps support the local church in thinking and acting like missionaries.

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