Prayers that Avail Much

Children standing in a large circle holding hands and singing songs in both Swahili and English... "Ni wewe, ni wewe bwana, ni wewe, ni wewe bwana..." Probably my most favorite song to hear them sing in the devotions circle. Picture that same circle with the children reciting memory verses, reading passages of scripture and explaining what they believe that passage is teaching them, and then those same children fearlessly offering prayers that come straight from their hearts. Pure and unselfish prayers. Can you just imagine how different the world and our circumstances would be if we only had the courage to pray such prayers?

Praying is nothing to be taken lightly. It is serious business. Whether the prayers be for forgiveness, intercession, thanksgiving, they are a time of deep communication with the One who has all of the answers we are seeking. Am I saying that you will always get the answer that you are seeking? Nope not at all. I can tell you several stories of prayers that I have prayed that have been answered, just not in the way that I thought they were going to be answered. 

Have you ever listened to a child pray? If not, then I encourage you to listen to them. They are some of the sweetest prayer people ever. They pray with innocence. I can remember in Sunday school listening to a little girl praying for her family because they left the keys in the house and they were locked out. She prayed for them to always remember where they keys were. Innocent.. There were no strings attached. She just prayed about what was on her heart and in her mind to pray. They pray with a pure heart. They aren't jaded by the circumstances of the world. They aren't so filled with negativity that they can't see past their own noses. I have listened to countless children pray while here in Kenya. They pray with such gusto and passion. They are bold in their requests. They pray for those who are sick and hurting. They pray for their families. They pray for each other. They pray for the nation of Kenya. They pray with reckless abandon. They leave everything they have in their hearts in the hands of God, because they know that without Him, they are going to be in trouble. 

What do you pray for when you pray? Are you praying dangerous prayers? Are your prayers safe and easy? I have noticed that as of late my prayers have changed dramatically. I am not praying the same safe and easy prayers I have prayed in the past. They have become much more bold. I have been praying for direction in regards to a longer term trip back to Kenya in less than four months after I return from the first trip here. I have been praying bolder prayers in regards to my relationship with a certain Kenya missionary. I have been praying prayers from a hurting heart for a group of children that need all of the prayers we can send their way. I have been praying most recently for children that don't have a safe place to sleep, enough food to eat, people that look out for their well being... Children that are just waiting for someone to step up and take a chance and sponsor them. Children that are waiting to get out of their current situation and have a chance at getting an education and changing their circumstances from dismal to hopeful. 

Tonight my heart is full of things that need prayer. Want to know how you can pray? Here let me give you a list:
a. Pray for the children that are still waiting for sponsors to get them into the orphanage and out of the slums
b. Pray for the children in the orphanage. Pray for their house parents. Pray for the new girls that just arrived. Pray that they will adjust to their new living arrangements easily.
c. Pray for the teachers and staff at Seeds Academy. 
d. Pray for the health of all those involved in the ministry here in Kenya.
e. Pray for two little girls in Eldoret that just witnessed their mother kill their father and were taken into the orphanage there.
Those are just some of the things on my heart. Many of the things that are on my heart I can't share with you. But you can still pray... God knows what is on my heart! 

I encourage you to continue to pray and to pray bold prayers that don't hold anything back. Prayers that avail much... Wouldn't it be great to get to share testimonies about how we prayed these bold prayers and then marveled at what God did because of them? I look forward to sharing more of the stories from the things I have experienced here in Kenya!

Until next time!
Melody