Service is sustained by prayer

Rebeca, a Brazilian missions worker, was living in a Muslim context where openly sharing the love of Jesus was not easy. Together with a group of friends, she understood that their priority needed to be prayer and the guidance from the Holy Spirit. 

One time, they decided that each day of the following week, they would go on a prayer walk led by the Holy Spirit. The women sought to listen to Him about where to go and whom to speak with. This way of praying, known as 'listen and pray,' involves setting aside intentional time to seek the Lord and ask for direction for something specific that day. 

“We spent the entire morning asking the Lord to speak to us, to remove every lie from our minds and bring His truth, and to allow us to see with spiritual eyes,” Rebeca recalled. 

Something different

In that country, it was uncommon for women to converse with men, and the group normally only spoke with other women. Yet that morning, during their time of prayer, Rebeca and her four friends sensed that God wanted to do something different. 

As Rebeca prayed for direction, she began to see something in her mind: “It was a street full of clothing shops. As I walked down that street in the vision, I saw a shop on the right that said ‘Repair Workshop,’ and there I found a man named Mehmet.” 

Despite her doubts about whether to share this impression with her friends, Rebeca did, clarifying that it might mean nothing. However, the group encouraged her and insisted that if God had shown it to her, it must have a purpose. 

Dividing into pairs, they went out to pray in different areas of the neighbourhood. Although Rebeca continued praying, she was not confident that she would actually find Mehmet; after all, the vision had been very specific. 

As they walked and prayed, they felt God guiding them. “When we entered a shop, I sensed the Holy Spirit saying, ‘Not here,’ and we would simply leave. Suddenly, we began walking down a street with several shops and many signs that read ‘Repair Workshop.’ Even though I had walked there before, I did not remember seeing that,” Rebeca shared. 

Entering one of the shops, Rebeca felt that it was the right place. But then the question arose: how would they approach Mehmet? While they were thinking about it, the man working in the shop — curious to see two women there — asked if he could help them. Rebeca’s friend, who was more outgoing, explained that they were looking to speak with Mehmet. The man asked them to follow him and led them to a nearby shop where he introduced the women to Mehmet. 

The friends had not planned what to say when they found Mehmet; in fact, they were not even sure they would find him. As they tried to find the right words, Mehmet and the man who had accompanied them waited for an explanation. 

“We decided that the best thing was to tell the truth,” Rebeca remembered. 

They told him what they were doing and how they had ended up in the shop. When they asked if there was anything they could pray for, a surprised — but visibly relieved — Mehmet explained that he truly needed prayer. His 20-year-old son had been diagnosed with cancer in his eyes; he had already lost sight in one eye and was about to lose the other. In addition, the cost of treatment had left the family in a very difficult financial situation.

“As we prayed, I could feel how the presence of God filled that dark shop. It was so strong that when we left, all we could do was sit on a bench, give thanks and worship God,” Rebeca shared. 

Divinely ordained encounters

Throughout the week of prayer, the women saw again and again how God guided them and revealed people, places and situations. Rebeca understood — not only during that week, but throughout her entire time in missions — that God desires to speak to His children, and that prayer is not only important; it is the foundation of all mission work. 

The prayer walks continued regularly, and God kept surprising the group with what He was doing, even though they knew they would never fully grasp everything their prayers were accomplishing in the spiritual realm. 

Months later, Rebeca went to spend the winter at a friend’s home along with two other women. Since they were together, they decided to go on another prayer walk. On that particular day, Rebeca did not take time beforehand to ask for direction at home, but while riding the metro, she asked the Lord to guide her. 

“I asked the Lord if there was someone He wanted me to talk to. I closed my eyes and began to see a woman sitting on a bench, with something on her head, and the name Fatima came to my mind. The first thing I thought was that Fatima sounded too Brazilian for where I was. Since I arrived before my friends, I said to God, ‘If this is from You, take me to her Yourself; I won’t say anything to the girls,’” Rebeca explained. 

Before her friends arrived, Rebeca tried to find Fatima but could not. However, when her friends arrived and were talking, Rebeca looked towards the sea and saw a woman sitting on a bench exactly as she had seen her on the metro. 

When her friends noticed Rebeca had drifted away from the conversation, they asked what was happening. She explained what she had seen. Though surprised, they knew that these kinds of things could happen, so they went with her to speak to the woman, who was waiting for the bus. 

“We went up to the woman and started talking. When we asked her name… I froze. It was Fatima.” 

Rebeca asked her friend to speak on her behalf and explain that God had shown her, because she felt unable to find the words. Her friend shared the story, and as she listened, Fatima looked intently at Rebeca. When the story ended, she hugged her several times, deeply moved, and asked, “Is it true? Does God see me? Does God know my name?” 

Then, in tears, she confessed that earlier that same morning, she had gone to the mosque to pray, asking God why He did not see her and why He did not hear her. 

As they continued talking, another woman approached and said, “I also need prayer.” Rebeca and her friends prayed for both women, shared about Jesus, and exchanged phone numbers to stay in contact.