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Prayer changes things!
This motto, displayed in homes around the country, underlines an essential truth: we live in an age of tremendous power—electric, atomic, nuclear, rocket, missile—yet the church has access to the greatest power of all, the power of prayer. Throughout the years, God’s power has been unleashed and blessings have flowed as His people prayed. This was true of SGA’s founder, Peter Deyneka, who called the nations to prayer—and God answered.
Over the years SGA prayer groups have formed, offering the opportunity for concentrated, fervent prayer for the ongoing work. The following account from the SGA North Glasgow Prayer Group by Voluntary Representative Alan Clarke gives an insight into one such group.
Our monthly prayer meeting began way back in the early 1970s (perhaps even earlier), when it was hosted and led by Mary Woods (then known as a Prayer Secretary – the forerunner of the Voluntary Representative), and her sister Pearl. These two faithful ladies gathered a number of people together from around west central Scotland, who had heard of SGA when Mary and Pearl had visited their churches. I attended my first SGA prayer meeting in March 1975, when David Godfrey visited to share about the work.
The prayer meeting continued in Mary and Pearl’s home until the 1990s, when Mary went to be with the Lord. We then moved to the home of Margaret, where we continued to meet until very recently, only moving due to Margaret’s poor health. We currently meet in the home of Manuel and Ava.
For many years there were only a very small group of us meeting, often as few as two, but we felt that in God’s arithmetic, that was enough to continue. Then, following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a significant group of people in one of our supporting churches asked to join with us. Overnight we went from a group of 2 to around 14 people meeting to pray.
Typically, we start each meeting with a short devotion from God’s word. Then, using the updates on the website, we pray for Ukraine. Following that, we pray for the rest of SGA’s ministries, partners and staff. As the group has become more familiar with the names of our staff and partners, there is a growing understanding of their situations. Only those who know the Lord can understand the privilege it is to pray for brothers and sisters, sometimes thousands of miles away, and know that we are partnering with them in their ministry.
Alan & Jean Clarke
Manuel & Ava
While more recently Zoom prayer meetings have been convened for supporters who have no access to a prayer group, we are thankful for those similar to the North Glasgow group who regularly meet with a burden to pray. Through intercessory prayer, SGA’s ministries are made possible. As we look to the future, pray that the Lord will enable us to expand the work to reach more communities with the Gospel. The words of Oswald Chambers underline the vital importance and immense privilege of prayer – ‘Prayer does not fit us for the greatest work, it is the greatest work.’
Do you feel led to start a prayer group in your home, church or community? Contact the SGA office for more details.