We Need Prayer

​Eleven years ago, my life was dramatically changed by the onset of chronic illness. It flipped my world upside down and is a battle that I struggle with every day. During this, however, I have found some rich blessings. One of the treasures that I have found is a new understanding of prayer. When I could do nothing else, I could still pray. In the middle of the night, when pain kept me awake, being able to talk with God changed my whole perspective. 
 
I realized that it was the times that I felt most helpless that I was most powerful because I was trusting in the power of One so much greater than me. Prayer doesn’t have limitations. 3,000 miles is nothing. Life and death and disasters and tragedies cannot stop prayer. Injustice, war, and evil itself cannot stop prayer. Homelessness, illness, and trauma cannot silence prayer as, often, it is in the depths of life that our cries for ourselves and for others come most purely and most powerfully. It is when we have no words to even lift in prayer that God’s own Spirit intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words.  
 
We need prayer. We need people to pray for us, but I have come to understand that even more, we need to pray for others. It is in that continuing conversation with God that our hearts are expanded to embrace others in need and expanded to receive the comfort and strength of God in ways that we could never imagine.
 
Over this summer, I would ask you to include the City Mission staff, homeless guests and board members in your prayers as often as you possibly can. Pray that our residents may be given strength, direction and hope in this time of crisis in their lives. Pray that our amazing staff might be uplifted and encouraged as they give so much every day to help others. And please pray that our Board of Directors may continue to be given wisdom and strength as they continue to help guide the ministry through the challenges and opportunities ahead.
 
And I promise, I will pray for you, that you may know the Lord’s renewing strength and comfort to meet your challenges and needs.  As we pray together, we will find that our relationship with God will grow stronger, and we will continue to see amazing things happening in the lives of those for whom we pray.

By: Andrea Starn, community member