You have likely experienced the comfort of knowing that someone is praying for you. I know I have.
Prayer gives us hope. Dr. R.C. Sproul often said that even though prayer doesn’t change God’s mind or give Him new information (after all, He is sovereign and knows everything), it does change people and circumstances. R.C. emphasized how the Lord ordains our prayers to bring His sovereign will to pass. Think about that: We have the privilege of being used as our Father’s instruments in achieving His purposes through heartfelt prayer according to His will and His Word. Can you imagine anything more wonderful?
The year 2022 marks the beginning of our next 50 years of ministry, if the Lord tarries. As with any service unto the Lord, we recognize that this outreach will succeed only as we remain dependent on God in regular prayer. We know that your regular support is accompanied by prayer for Ligonier and for this work, and we are grateful for you. You stand with us in prayer, and as one of the ways to thank you for what you do for Ligonier month in and month out, we want to pray for you personally and specifically. More on that below.
Prayer is so important to the Christian life, but it can be difficult. It can be hard to know how to pray and to pray confidently. One reason Ligonier is so committed to helping people know who God is in all His sovereign glory and power is that we want people to pray with confidence (Heb. 4:16). Only when we know who God is and who we are can we begin to see our weakness and then turn to Him as our only hope in life and in death. The prophet’s encounter with the thrice-holy God in Isaiah 6 has been so vital to Ligonier because of how it displays our full dependence on the Lord.
One of Dr. Sproul’s last monthly letters, written in 2017, was a call to join him and Ligonier in praying for an awakening to the holiness of God, both within and outside the church. R.C. wrote, “When just two men—Paul and Silas—prayed, the earth itself shook (Acts 16:25–26). Imagine what might happen if we pray fervently for a mighty move of God’s Spirit today.” At that time, we offered our friends a prayer guide, and we have been encouraging the church to pray every week since then.
At Ligonier, we strive to be a ministry that not only teaches people about God and prayer but also actually prays for people. So, prayer for others has been a regular part of our work since day one. I was reminded of that a few months ago when I visited the original Ligonier Valley Study Center in Pennsylvania and stood in the room where the original Holiness of God teaching series with R.C. was filmed. What many people may not realize is that in that very same room, many decades ago, the Ligonier staff used to gather regularly with Dr. Sproul to pray for the requests that were sent to the ministry.
Today, our commitment to the practice of prayer continues in many ways. In addition to answering phone calls and emails, our Care Team prays every day for the prayer requests we receive. Our Chaplain Outreach team prays for particular inmates and troops when we receive news of their needs. The Ask Ligonier team, in the course of answering biblical and theological questions online, often finds itself in prayer with and for people around the world. Daily requests come to us, and it is a privilege to stop and pray for friends like you.
Would you join us in prayer now? Here are a few requests we’ve recently received:
A husband and wife have sought our prayers that God may grant them wisdom to understand the Scriptures and boldness to bear witness to the gospel of Christ in their local community.
Desiring to serve the Lord and honor his parents, a student has asked for prayer as he attends a university where the Christian faith is discredited and worldly ideologies are rampant.
A daughter has requested that we pray for strength and encouragement in Christ as she cares for an aging parent who is ill.
In fact, I don’t know of another ministry that produces teaching resources of such quality and scale, is able to distribute them around the world to millions of people in multiple languages, and still prioritizes having its staff pray for the needs of individual saints.
Many of you have prayed with us over the past few years for a global awakening to God’s truth and for the Lord’s blessing on Ligonier’s outreach. Thank you. This month, we want to pray for you. Please send us your prayer request by emailing service@ligonier.org, and we will lift up your needs to the Lord. It is one way we can help bear one another’s burdens and fulfill the law of Christ (Gal. 6:2). Please know that we are grateful for your generosity, which helps Ligonier produce and distribute resources this month that will encourage people to pray and to know the One who answers prayer.
Thank you again for sharing Ligonier’s vision and for your prayerful support.
Ligonier Ministries