A Crucial Investment

Escape from jail. Water gushing from a rock. Heaven-sent fire. An army struck blind. Fifteen more years to live. The sun standing still. Children for once-barren women.

God answers prayers.

He makes that very clear in His Word.*

And it’s just as true today—which is why prayer is the lifeblood of our efforts supporting Bible translation. Sure, strategies and hard work keep our wheels spinning. But prayer breathes life into the daily grind. Prayer invites God to lead, to intervene. Prayer challenges us to listen.

It may be our most crucial investment in eternity.

"This is the first act of worship we do—talking to God and listening to Him," reflects Dr. Allen Tyndall, JAARS chaplain.

He recalls King Hezekiah’s prayer in 2 Kings 19, which God answered by striking down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. "Hezekiah’s prayer really mattered," Tyndall notes. "Our prayers really matter! What if he had not prayed? God can’t answer a prayer that hasn’t been prayed."

Indeed, prayer is pivotal—and a mysterious, personal way to invest in God’s work. Interested in praying for JAARS? Read on.

Quick Tips

• Build your three-legged stool.
  Tyndall calls prayer a "three-legged stool"—it’s most successful with a regular time, place and method. Make it a habit: after breakfast each day, or before church once a week. And to easily remember JAARS? Follow our daily prayer requests by mail or RSS feed.

• Pray about what interests you.
  Not every prayer need will be edge-of-your-seat interesting. But find a few topics that are, and you’ll be more likely to bring them to God. Choices abound: leaders, an intriguing country, a JAARS department, a riveting project, a missionary family you know...

• Listen.
  Tyndall stresses that “prayer is more than just talking to God; it’s also listening.” He adds, “The Scriptures are full of examples of God speaking to humans. I want to be in that kind of relationship: ‘And God said to Moses.’ ‘And God said to Allen.’ There should be no difference.”

• Consider getting a prayer buddy.
  Running, dieting, studying... They’re all easier with a friend to keep you on track. And prayer can be too—just be sure your buddy is reliable and tight-lipped.

* Answered prayers, in order, from Acts 12:5–17, Exodus 17:4–6, 1 Kings 18:16–39, 2 Kings 6:8–23, 2 Kings 20:1–7, Joshua 10:12–14, Luke 1:5–17.