"What can we do for you?” That was the question asked of ten church planters in an area where less than 2% of the population claim to be a part of evangelical Christian churches. All but one responded with the same first answer – “pray for us.” There were other answers with other expressed needs, but prayer was always first on the need list. The truth is - prayer is much more of a felt-need on the front lines of ministry being carried out on Satan’s turf, than in areas where Christian churches are populated and Christian resources are plentiful. Unfortunately, when we can provide for ourselves, we become less dependent on God to provide, and thus our need for intercessory prayer diminishes in our minds. Seeing God’s response to intercession for these unreached areas and the pioneers who serve there, makes me wonder what God would do if folks in the Bible-belt, with ample human and financial resources, would take prayer seriously. Yes, there are exceptions, but they are far too few. The Apostle Paul, who often served in areas heavily populated with unreached people, requested of the believers in Ephesus, “Pray for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph. 6:19). In Satan’s strongholds, the “mystery” is what God can do in a life. In the Bible-belt, the “mystery” is often, what God would do if properly asked.
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