January 18, 2023

How Should Prayer Look?

Here it is, the year two thousand twenty-three, and things have changed radically in my lifetime. I will turn sixty this year, which means I have seen the hand of the Lord at work in my life for four decades. Thanks to friends who walked faithfully and honestly alongside me, and a church that taught the truth of Scripture in my formational years of faith, the Lord has sustained my walk with him.

One of my favorite ways to know Jesus more is to pray. I can still remember the shock and awe I experienced when I discovered, having grown up in a traditional church where I learned only recited prayers, that I could say anything to God. I remember the first time I truly expressed my hurt and told God how I felt about a situation; part of me was waiting for a lightning bolt to strike. It seemed too good to be true that I could talk to the Lord from the depths of my heart. And he always heard my cry.

Early on, my heart learned the truth of Psalm 116:1,2.

“I love the LORD for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.”

Through college, I learned how to string together eloquent words of prayer as our campus ministry met in small groups. But I had yet to learn the power of raw, gut-wrenching, simple prayers. (“Father, help!”) I thought I knew how prayer “should look.”

Fast forward to 2016, and we were serving in the Czech Republic with Josiah Venture, having left our four adult children in the States. One of our kids was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease just before we moved. Perhaps you know that treatment for a chronic illness always gets worse before it gets better, and, after we left, she struggled. I remember crying out to God daily for her healing. I cried to him for another daughter, who was struggling with depression and anxiety so severe that she often ended up in the hospital. I had to decide whether I would follow Jesus with a defiant faith like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. I knew the Lord was able to rescue my kids. But, even if he did not, I had to learn to tell the enemy that I would continue faithfully following Jesus and not bow to fear or ever desert my Savior.

We now live and serve full-time with Josiah Venture from Chicago, near two of our four kids. And we are still waiting for that rescue.

During these years of waiting and crying out, I have learned that prayer is not a monologue— spelling out my wish list to the powerful one, hoping he will grant my desires. Prayer means that sometimes I am at the lakefront asking God questions, tears flowing freely as I await his response and behold his limitless creation.

Sometimes prayer finds me on the floor, sobbing and grieving before God with no words like our Ukraine team certainly must be doing regularly these days.

Sometimes I recognize the enemy working, and prayer takes the form of defiant worship, singing lyrics that reorient my mind to truth over fear.

Sometimes prayer means disciplining my mind to be quiet in his presence as I listen for his still, small voice to lead and direct, speaking love and correction over me.

Prayer happens alone, in pairs, in groups over Zoom, in the still of the night, and on a bustling sidewalk. Sometimes it happens over Marco Polo. We can talk to the Lord as we work out, walk the dog, and ride the bus. We have seen prayer (or the lack of prayer) make (and break) the success of our efforts. This is not because the Lord needs us to recite some magical formula, but because he wants to hear from his children and generously chooses to bless us when we dedicate the work of our hands to him.

One of the excellent tools Josiah Venture has developed and used for the past six years is an online “prayer room.” Obviously, it’s a virtual room, and it has no borders. This space echoes the heartbeat of two core values that all Josiah Venture staff hold dear: bold faith and dynamic community.

With bold faith, I can use sleepless nights to enter the JV Prayer Room on my computer and talk to my heavenly dad about the needs of our team in any of the countries we serve. I can see the real-time needs of our Ukrainian team on my Prayer Room app as I walk through a park. I can send a note of reflection to the dear ones for whom I have prayed to let them know that they are being covered from another continent. These things deepen our sense of community and allow us to link arms and cheer each other on.

As you begin this new year, remember that nothing can keep you from communicating with the Father, except your own distractions. Allow your heart and soul to come out of hiding and be honest and present with God this year. Let him hear what you are really thinking, and feeling, and all that you need. May the suffering of unanswered prayer draw you closer to the Father as you learn to trust him, and defiantly communicate to the enemy that “even if God does NOT answer my prayer, still I will serve only him.”

We hope that, at some point, God will lead you to the Prayer Room, where we will all feel the support of your prayer as you hold up our arms for battle. May your relationship with the Father grow deeper and richer this year as you learn to communicate with him on a deeper level.

Geri Fuehring

Related Posts

Read Story

Online Ministry, Stories

Four Years of “Josiah Venture Stories”

It is the human condition to dream. Five years ago, I dreamed of starting a podcast for Josiah Venture. I approached the then-director of the International Team, Kyle Evans, and told him of my idea for a Josiah Venture podcast. He asked, “Who do you imagine hosting this podcast?” After a short pause, I replied, “Um…me?” To which he said, “My thoughts exactly.” I knew this was what God was asking me to do.  The podcast, “Josiah Venture Stories,” was officially launched on April 6th, 2021, roughly a year after this initial conversation. It took a little while to get the ball rolling. I needed time to research the best equipment, come up with the name, decide on the format and structure, and everything else that goes with starting a podcast. I enjoy thinking through the strategy and practical steps for a process, and it’s exciting to see a dream become a plan and a plan become reality. A common statistic in podcasting is that 90% of podcasts don’t publish more than three episodes. Many dreams come crashing to a quick end due to the lack of traction and momentum. Some podcasts fail because there isn’t a clear content strategy, episodes are released sporadically, the quality is poor, or proper marketing and promotion are lacking.  To be in the top 1% of podcasts in the world, you only need to publish 21 episodes. This month, the “Josiah Venture Stories” podcast has published 121 episodes featuring various missionaries, Josiah Venture kids, interns, short-term missions team members, alumni, and more. That is something to celebrate! My favorite part of hosting the podcast is hearing about God’s faithfulness, journeys of faith, and the unlikely stories of how people became missionaries. Multiple responses to the question, “How did you know God was calling you to full-time missions?” start with, “Well, I never thought I would be a missionary.” This proves that we never know what God is going to do with our lives or where the roads of life might lead. God simply asks us to trust him. I have repeatedly asked guests on the podcast, “What message of hope would you give to young people today?” The responses are always insightful and inspirational.   Baška from Slovakia said, “I usually tell them to trust God and his plan. I know it’s really difficult, and it seems easy to say but harder to live, but every time that I trusted God, it was better than I expected. Trusting God gave me so much hope and so much peace.” Mark Krupa, a missionary who has lived in the Czech Republic for 26 years, said, “ I would encourage them to look into the living water. Jesus went around saying, ‘I am living water. Come to me and you won’t thirst again.’ Spiritually, young people are hungry, and Jesus can fill them. I would encourage young people to look into what the secret of Christianity is. Colossians 1:27 says, ‘To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.’ The secret of Christianity is actually Jesus in you.” Not only does this podcast exist to tell long-form stories of the movement of God among the youth of Central and Eastern Europe, but it also encourages the listener as they hear stories for all ages. If you have listened to the podcast once or to every episode, thank you. Would you please consider, not just listening, but also sharing an episode or two with a friend or on your social media? Another thing that truly goes a long way in the podcasting world is reviews. Do you enjoy our podcast? Help more people discover our podcast by following us on Spotify or Apple Podcasts and writing us an honest review. Here’s what people are saying about the podcast: “What a rich podcast—full of encouragement, new insights and perspectives about what God is doing in central and Eastern Europe.” -Ben_Rob_27 “Last summer, I went with a group from my church in Colorado to stay in Albania for a month and help with summer camps. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life! One of my favorite parts about this experience was hearing the life stories of the people in charge, how they came to be a part of this amazing organization, and their hearts behind the ministry that they are doing. This podcast gives you an even deeper and wider insight into the organization as a whole. You are able to hear what is truly going on in different countries from those living there. It’s so inspiring as a young adult to hear the ways God is moving through the faithful servants he has called to make an impact on people my age and younger. Thanks for sharing these stories!” -Kiko1170 Thank you for listening, investing in the ministry of Josiah Venture, and hearing the stories of our missionaries.

Read Story

Discipleship, Events, Stories

The Unseen War

Three years of conflict and still no peace. The war in Ukraine has returned to the forefront of the news as world leaders clash in a spin cycle of opinions. Those in the country feel the weight of years of exhausting conflict, with no clear end in sight. But behind the scenes, another battle is raging for the spiritual soul of the nation.  Amidst pain, hardship, and struggle, God is still at work and our JV team of 27 staff are pressing forward to take ground in the fight. During the last weekend of February, they gathered 450 young people from local churches across Ukraine for an innovative “Spring Fest.” Good Bible teaching, powerful worship, and personal testimonies were woven together to point people to the resources they have in Christ. He is the only firm anchor for our souls in the midst of a raging storm. The storm is particularly fierce for these young people. Some of the youth groups meet close enough to the front lines to hear the sound of bombing all day and live with the constant threat of evacuation and displacement.   One youth group from Kharkiv, en route to the fest, had their main youth leader forcefully conscripted into the military. Can you imagine if that happened to a youth group from your church?  Yet, our sovereign God is always working to accomplish his purposes despite the evil and failures of man. In fact, he often uses these unwelcome trials to accelerate his work. Our team is experiencing an unprecedented response to the gospel and a passionate hunger in young people to grow deep in their walks with God. With the exodus of leaders out of the country or into the military, there is a huge need to equip a new generation of leaders, and our training events are packed. Other JV countries are using the crisis to mobilize their young people into mission. Recently, our JV team in Slovakia held a series of events for 250 youth leaders called “Glow and Go.” Their goal was to inspire, mobilize, and energize young leaders into personal transformation and bold outreach.  As a result, 12 Slovaks traveled into war-torn Ukraine to serve at the Spring Fest.  They led worship, organized eight workshops, and served in numerous practical ways. But most of all, they told these young people that they were not forgotten and not alone. More teams from Slovakia and the Czech Republic will be assisting with evangelistic camps. When under pressure from the enemy, the best strategy is forward motion. Thank you for joining us in the spiritual battle for Ukraine.       

Read Story

Evangelism, Stories

When we say “Yes”

Dear Friends, What happens when we say “yes”? Ermal was obsessed with soccer as a child and headed to university in his home country of Albania with the dream to become a famous professional player. He never quite made the top level of performance required and was deeply discouraged. At the same time, he was growing in his relationship with God under the disciplemaking care of a local pastor. Hearing God’s call into ministry, he said “yes” to a major life change and returned to his small village to shepherd a local congregation of just 35 believers. But his passion for young people–⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠and for soccer–⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠never left. So, when our JV Albania team approached him four years ago with the invitation to join JV and develop a sports ministry in his church and throughout his valley, he heard the call of God and said “yes.” In just a few years, Ermal had started Edge Soccer teams in six villages with no prior evangelical witness, reaching over 60 young people every week. A part of every practice was a short Bible study, and the young boys were relationally shepherded to faith in Christ. After a time of prayer in early November of 2024, Ermal came to his wife Nertila with an outlandish vision. “I believe God is calling us to share the gospel with 1000 young people before Christmas.” “Are you kidding me?” his wife replied. “I was thinking like a human,” she later shared. “How can we reach 1000 kids in such a short period of time?” “I don’t have any ideas,” Ermal said, “but I think God is calling us.” “I was very challenged,” Nertila reflected later, “and didn’t know how to handle that pressure. But then I said, ‘Here I am God, if you want to use us. Let your will be done.’” Then, out of the blue, a call came from Operation Mobilization, who wanted to send 6 people from Moldova to help with whatever they wanted. Ermal said “yes.” Next, Ermal had an idea to request 1000 Shoebox gift packages from Samaritan’s purse. It was an unusual request, but they said “yes.” He contacted six schools and asked if he could share the story of Jesus at Christmas.  Albania is historically Muslim, and the directors are not allowed to do anything religious in the school building. “Would you be willing to talk to our students outside?” they asked. He said “yes.” It was a simple program. Two songs, a 15-minute message about Jesus, and heartfelt testimonies from the Moldovans. And, of course, some shoebox gifts. But the students were very open, and many asked to hear more about Jesus. Others gave their addresses and wanted to join the youth activities. The director of the largest school is now meeting regularly with Ermal for Bible study.  When Christmas came, they counted the numbers and realized that over 1000 young people had heard a clear gospel message in just a few short weeks. A simple “yes” to the call of God brought miraculous fruit. This month, you also said “yes” through your gifts and prayers. Thank you.