Every week a handful of Youth for Christ Volunteers in Canada, gathers to pray. They gather to pray for their city, and that God would use them to see others come to know Jesus as their King. When they meet to pray, they come with little to no tools or resources. They have no prayer budget or prayer list. Tools, resources, lists and budgets for prayer are AMAZING, however, God has given two gifts to us that form powerful prayers.
The gifts He has given us are His Word and His Spirit. His word teaches and reveals to us how He thinks (Ps. 138:2), and within Biblical parameters, His Spirit helps us to know what He thinks (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). In Christ, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1) and according to 1 Peter 1:3, we have been granted “everything pertaining to life and godliness…” The gifts of His Word and Spirit lead us into truth and thereby fellowship with God Himself. 2 Corinthians 6:16 says,
For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will live with them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.”
This local prayer team understands that God has come close. He has come to dwell with His Church. They weekly draw close to God and in quiet trust, know He will draw close to them (James 4:8).
Recently, I was praying with this team in the local Youth for Christ ministry centre. As we dwelt with God and God with us in prayer, I began seeking Gods leading and direction. What happened next was amazing. He spoke. Not audibly but with a picture. In prayer, I saw a picture of a teenage girl with blonde hair and glasses. She was standing outside the local bus terminal. When we had concluded our prayer meeting, a friend and I went immediately to the bus terminal. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I wrote down the details of what God had shown me so I wouldn’t forget. My friend and I walked the three blocks to the bus terminal and to our surprise, there was a teenager girl with blonde hair and glasses. We approached her and shared that God had sent us to her. I showed her the information written on my hand (she was amazed). It turned out she had friendships with some local Youth for Christ missionaries and was aware of the local youth centre. That night we shared the Gospel with her and prayed for her. Although that night, she didn’t surrender her life to Jesus she felt like her hope was restored and said, “maybe God is real!” That night, the Word of God instructed us how to pray for others and the Spirit of God showed us whom we were to pray for.
That night in prayer impacted me. In prayer, I was seeking God’s counsel and direction and what I found was a lost teenager. It has since occurred to me that the lost are in God’s heart. He thinks about them and wants them know Him personally. He leaves the 99 for the one and sent His Son so they may be restored. It is impossible to find a corner in God’s heart that is not filled with love for the lost. When you pray, you will certainly find God thinking about your neighbour, your community, your city and every lost young person.
Next Monday is our Youth for Christ Global Day of Prayer & Fasting. What an incredible opportunity it is to spend a day in fasting and prayer that every young person would come to know Jesus personally! You don’t need to see a picture to know God’s love for the lost or His will that we pray for them. He has revealed it in His Word and through His Son. A simple prayer has the power to change a life, for it is received by One who gave their own life for their’s.
The lost are in God’s heart. Are they in yours?
Join the Youth for Christ family in prayer & fasting on Monday for every young person.
Who will you pray for and share the Gospel with this week?
Adam Shepski
Global Prayer Catalyst
Youth for Christ International