Hope and Prayer
Happy New Year!
Hope springs eternal for me at the start of each new year. We are 25 years into this new millennium, and while a lot has changed in that time, I am grateful that those things that have the most value have not.
At The Salvation Army, hope is one of the things that we most value. Through hope and prayer we do the work of Christ, serving people and making an impact in our communities.
Did you know that The Salvation Army, in addition to being a place that helps people with physical needs, is a church? Each corps building that we use is also equipped with a sanctuary where we hold regular church services. And everyone that wears The Salvation Army uniform with red epaulettes is not only an administrator but also a pastor. As Christians, one of the most powerful things we can do to help people who are suffering is to agree in prayer and take our collective requests to God.
For the church, prayer is one of the most important actions that we perform. In the Bible, James 5:16 (NLT) says that “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” We pray every morning to start the day, to begin and to end meetings. We pray just to acknowledge Him, but also to petition Him on behalf of others for His grace and mercy.
In addition to providing shelter, we pray.
In addition to providing food, we pray.
In addition to providing hope, we pray.
So what is the purpose of prayer? Simply to have a conversation with God about what is on your heart. The Bible says to “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you,” Matt. 7:7-8 (NLT). As believers we are instructed to ask God for anything in prayer.
In addition to providing these necessary resources, The Salvation Army acts as the hands and feet of Christ. In Matthew 14 verses 13-21, when Jesus noticed that the people were hungry, he turned his attention to feeding them, meeting them where they were and fulfilling their needs with 5 fish and 2 loaves. We try to do the same thing today, caring for the folks in Kansas and Western Missouri, providing for basic human needs of food and shelter. Over the years because of our good stewardship, we have increased resources but can always use more.
So what do we pray for? We pray for more people to support our work through donations. We pray that you see the value of this work that we do and decide to support it.
My personal hope for 2025 is that more people will value those things that really matter, and my prayer is that you will join us in our mission to bring hope to those who are suffering. Together we can make this world a better place.
Prayerfully,
Kelly