Between the two of us, we pieced our memories together of how David Lino, Pastor at Trinity Baptist Church, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, a good few years ago, organised a simple but very efficient intercession plan across the whole congregation. It was suggested that we write the names of three - or was it 5 people down on a yellow card. I remember it was a YELLOW card. And committed ourselves to pray consistently for those names over a period of time. I could not have been too good at it, but do trust that God in His mercy would have acted on those prayers. But there was Julius, an elder at our church, and he prayed tenaciously and for many years for the names on his card - a real modern-day George Muller.
I must ask David Lino if George Muller's prayers sparked the yellow-card-prayer-plan.
Please do visit the Blazing Center when you get a chance.
I get easily discouraged in prayer.
If I don’t see the answer quickly, my prayers lose their edge and enthusiasm. My faith in God starts to peter out, and my prayers become less frequent. Which is why I find the words of George Mueller so encouraging.
In November 1844, I began to pray for the conversion of five individuals. I prayed every day without one single intermission, whether sick or in health, on the land or on the sea, and whatever the pressure of my engagements might be. Eighteen months elapsed before the first of the five was converted. Five years elapsed, and then the second was converted. I thanked God for the second, and prayed on for the other three. Day by day I continued to pray for them, and six years more passed before the third was converted. I thanked God for the three, and went on praying for the other two. The man to whom God in the riches of his grace has given tens of thousands of answers to prayer, in the self-same hour or day on which they were offered, has been praying day by day for nearly thirty six years for the conversion of these two individuals, and yet they remain unconverted; for next November will be thirty-six years since I began to pray for their conversion. But I hope in God, I pray, and look yet for the answer.Some time after Mueller spoke these words, a fourth friend was converted. After he died, the fifth and final of his friends was saved.What an example to me! Mueller prayed for thirty-six years! There must have been many days when he felt discouraged and doubtful, yet he kept praying. He was steadfast, and in the end God honored his steadfast prayer.
In 2011 let’s pray like George Mueller. Let’s pray bold, persistent, steadfast prayers.
