Our service to God is not as vital as our relationship and obedience to Him. Like Samuel who ministered to the Lord when he did not yet know Him personally (1 Samuel 2:11, 18 and 3:7), we too can be serving Him without a personal relationship with Him, cautioned Dr Bradley Stuart at a recent prayer conference in early May organised by the NECF Malaysia Prayer Commission.
Jesus showed, according to Matthew 7:21-23, that our works for Him are not as important as our relationship with Him. In His sermon on the mount, He warned that not everyone who called Him ‘Lord’ would enter the kingdom of heaven.
“We can be so busy with the work of the Lord that we lose contact with the Lord of the work,” said the founding director of Yada International, which began as a school of intercession but has grown into a ministry that helps believers develop intimacy with God.
“We must know our purpose and appointed work and the clear boundaries, and be concerned about doing God’s thing rather than doing a good thing,” he said. And to achieve this, the believer must know God intimately. There can be no true intimacy apart from covenant and covenant can only be experienced with true commitment, which takes time.
Prior to the conference, the 70-plus participants attended a a three-day national prayer consultation, which was a follow-up gathering to last year’s NECF National Prayer Conference. This was the first time that prayer leaders and representatives from all states in Malaysia, except Kelantan, met for discussion and intercession.
The participants concurred that the consultation was an eye-opener as it gave them a bigger picture of the nation’s needs. It also forged the feeling of belonging and unity, as expressed by participant Lucy Chua, Prayer Coordinator for the English-speaking Presbyterian Churches. “We agreed that to fulfil our Great Commission in Malaysia, we need to take seriously our responsibility to the greater majority. Our prayer must rise up day and night to break strongholds that take our people captive,” she said.
Judith, from Sabah, found it a privilege to join intercessors from all over Malaysia to pray for specific church, government and people issues, while Melinda Lo was moved by the transparent sharing of the participants and said she was looking forward to the next consultation. On the other hand, Pr Patsy Lim from Dungun, Kuala Terengganu, was especially glad to be able to share and network with those from the same region.
Edward Lim, a 24-year-old graduate engineer, hoped that the consultation would trigger the Prayer Commission to organise youth prayer camps to provide training and discipleship in intercession. “Among my peers, we are just hungry for mentors who will disciple us in this area. Through prayer, this generation will no longer be lost (hence the name Gen X) but will find its identity by fulfilling God’s purpose for this generation,” he said.
At the end of the consultation, the participants approved a seven-point resolution to boost the prayer movement in the country. |
