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Awakened to Prayer

by Courageous Third Communications

October 16, 2024

 

Laura Gish, a leader in building vibrant communities of prayer, pulls back the curtain on her personal prayer journey, offering a glimpse into the organizations she’s had the honor to serve. She also reveals practical, powerful insights on how you can create a prayer movement in your own workplace. From stories of miracles and overcoming challenges to her favorite apps and books for enriching your prayer life, this post is packed with inspiration. Grab your coffee as we learn more about Laura and how you too can find your joy through prayer.

 

Laura Gish serves as the Vice President of Prayer and Advancement at Mission Mutual. In addition to supporting Bible-based collective impact initiatives, she consults non-profit organizations in building programs that engage audiences through prayer. Laura calls Fort Worth, Texas home, where she soaks in family time and is currently learning golf from her 10-year-old nephew.

Laura Gish Poland February 2024
Where My Passion for Prayer Began

My passion for prayer began when I was 14, during what felt like endless sleepless nights. What started as insomnia quickly turned into something much deeper—a love for God’s Word. I’d spend those quiet hours diving into the Bible, getting to know Jesus in a way that filled my heart and catalyzed a love for prayer. It was during that time I felt a clear calling: my life would be shaped by serving prayer and Bible ministry.

 

Fast forward, and for the past nearly 15 years, I’ve had the privilege of helping Bible-centered agencies cultivate prayer. Along the way, I’ve worked with organizations focused on everything from Bible translation and church planting to tech initiatives. And most recently, coordinating prayer and scaling collective impact efforts through prayer for Come and See, a foundation that shares the message of Jesus around the world. Prayer has been at the heart of it all—fueling movements, uniting communities, and opening doors for the gospel to reach places we never imagined.

 

Today, my passion is helping organizations build communities of prayer. I love seeing people come together, seeking God’s guidance and witnessing the incredible ways He moves when prayer is the strategy.

 

Looking back, I see how those sleepless nights weren’t wasted. God was awakening a passion that’s led me on a journey far greater than I could’ve imagined. And that passion continues to grow as I see the power of prayer transform lives and influence God’s mission around the world!

As We Pray, Our Hearts Change

I’ve had the privilege of cultivating praying communities that give the gift of generous prayer. This includes anything from shaping organizational prayer programs, to creating prayer content, engaging prayer partners and hosting prayer spaces at signature events. In every context I’ve served, I’ve noticed a powerful truth: as we pray, our hearts change. We begin to love what God loves, and our desires align with His. Prayer is one of the most transformative gifts we can offer, not just for the people and missions we’re praying for, but for ourselves. It draws us closer to God and shapes our hearts in the process.

Accelerating Kingdom Impact

We are witnessing the fruit of these prayers to influence Kingdom mission. In the Bible translation movement alone, we are observing more unified prayer and partnerships accelerating impact today than ever before. The Bible translation movement represents hundreds of thousands of prayer partners and hundreds of broadening involvement partners united in mission. As Greg Pruett, President of Pioneer Bible Translators recently shared, “This kind of united prayer makes the impossible inevitable.”

Prayer Opens the Door for Miracles

Here’s a bit more context to frame the impossible miracles we’re witnessing. In 2010, an estimated 1.4 billion people didn’t have Scripture in their language. At the time, it was estimated to take 150 years to bring Bible access to those waiting. Then enters the Every Tribe Every Nation (ETEN) alliance of Bible translation agencies. This alliance launched with one clear goal: to provide Scripture access to those waiting by 2033. And over the last 14 years, we’ve seen generous prayers and gifts of over $400 million help to translate God’s Word through the illumiNations movement supporting ETEN. What was nearly 1.4 billion people without access in 2010 is down to less than 1 billion today.

The First Miracle I Ever Witnessed

One of the first miracles in prayer I witnessed was in college. A friend in my dorm hall was in debilitating pain and unable to walk due to a back injury. She was about to go to the emergency room but before she left, I felt a nudge from the Holy Spirit to pray for her. As soon as we finished praying, her back pain was gone and she straightened up to walk as if nothing had happened. I’ll never forget the awe and joy I felt in seeing God’s love, nearness and compassion in that brief prayer. And I was challenged to pray like I really believe Matthew 21:22: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” 

 

Since this miracle, I’ve witnessed countless firsthand and have heard testimonies around the world that challenge me to pursue a deeper prayer life! What amazes me most is watching how prayer can transform lives. I’ve seen people come to know Jesus, doors open that seemed impossible, wounded hearts restored and the gift of peace amid suffering —all through the power of prayer. It’s not just about seeing circumstances change; it’s about watching God work in ways that go far beyond what we can imagine for His glory and our highest good.

Barrier Busters: Overcoming Common Prayer Hurdles

In surveying praying communities, I’ve seen the most consistent barriers to prayer is busyness and lack of confidence in knowing how to pray. While there is no lack of desire for prayer—there is a gap in where we are and where we aspire to be in our prayer life.

 

The biggest catalysts I’ve experienced to overcome common prayer hurdles are: praying with others, keeping a prayer journal, practicing silent prayer, and being consistent in praying God’s Word.

 

Praying with a trusted prayer partner can help me get unstuck. Praying together activates faith! It also holds us accountable while encouraging perseverance to keep our eyes on Jesus. Also, I’ve seen time and again the impact of writing down prayers and keeping track of answered prayers. Journaling helps me untangle emotions and communicate my honest prayer, and it inspires faith to look back and see how God has been working faithfully through all circumstances—even when it’s tough to see in the moment. Silent prayer is another personal favorite. I have a busy mind. So, waiting on the Lord with no agenda creates space for God to speak through His Word and the voice of the Holy Spirit. One word from God can change our entire perspective in His perfect peace and wisdom. Who doesn’t want that?! Lastly, praying the Scriptures is a win-win. Scripture grounds us in what is true while activating prayers that align with God’s perspective. Starting small but setting up consistent rhythms to pray the Word can be transformative. One practical place to start is by reading the Psalms until you hear your very own prayer emerge in the text. The Scriptures give language to our feelings of joy, fear, or gratitude—opening greater confidence to share our honest needs in prayer.

Strategies for Building a Culture of Prayer in the Workplace

I’d recommend first appointing a prayer coordinator or small prayer leadership team to help build and execute the prayer strategy, aligning efforts with the needs of the faith-based Employee Resource Group (or unofficial club). This individual or small group of dedicated employees could help lead prayer initiatives, coordinate prayer activities, and serve as points of contact for prayer requests. This team can also ensure a diverse representation of employees that incorporates different denominational traditions.

 

Once a leadership community is established, commit to meeting regularly. Set up a consistent meeting time accommodating different schedules, either in-person or virtually. Use this time to focus on group prayer themes, such as personal growth, workplace unity, leadership guidance, and challenges employees may be facing. By providing a framework for the time (such as including prayer, Scripture reading and reflection), the team can empower different members to facilitate prayer meetings—fostering engagement and diverse experiences. Also, this team could encourage sharing prayer requests regularly through a Teams, Slack or other preferred channel. This forum could also be utilized to offer more frequent prayer prompts and reminders to pause and pray for pressing needs. Consider pairing up employees to be prayer partners, encouraging them to check in on each other regularly and pray for one another’s needs.

 

However the prayer strategy is developed, a formalized approach presents a beautiful opportunity to foster a supportive, faith-centered environment that builds deeper relationships, increases employee well-being, and invites God’s presence into the workplace. By building a prayer strategy that fosters consistent prayer, not only spiritual growth is possible—there’s the added blessing of positive impact across the broader company culture.

My Top Picks for Prayer Resources

There are several terrific prayer resources out there…it’s hard to pick just a few! Here’s a handful of favorites based on format:

 

Prayer apps:  

      • Echo – allows users to create and manage prayer lists, set reminders for prayer times, and share requests and answered prayers with a community.
      • Glorify – a prayer and worship app that focuses on personal devotion, community building, and spiritual growth with resources to enhance prayer.
      • Hallow – provides guided meditations and prayers to help users develop a consistent prayer life.
      • Lectio 365 – guides users through prayer and reflection, integrating Scripture readings with guided meditation using a Lectio Divina format.
      • Pray as You Go – designed for on-the-go spiritual practices, featuring guided meditations, music, and reflections.
      • PrayerMate – helps users organize their prayer lists, set reminders, and incorporate daily prompts. It offers a variety of content, including prayer requests from various mission organizations.
      • YouVersion  –Bible app featuring daily devotionals, prayer prompts, and a community feature for sharing prayer requests, along with a number of devotional reading plans.

And lastly, some favorite prayer books:

Ready to Take Your Prayer Life to the Next Level?

Take the Lead with Prayer 6-minute assessment, to reflect on how your prayer practices are joining your work with God’s presence. Then, access the following tools (along with reading the Lead with Prayer Book!) to explore ways to invite God’s blessing as you grow personal and organizational prayer. The Lead with Prayer website offers the following free downloadable the tools:

 

      • Prayer Cards
      • One-Sentence Prayers
      • Rule of Life Prayer Map
      • Psalms to Pray through Tough Times
      • Praying Your Org Chart
      • 8 Steps for Developing a Culture of Prayer
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For questions or feedback on this article, please contact us at: news@courageousthird.org