I grew up in a very warm, loving, grace-filled family, and we all loved Jesus. After graduating from high school, I attended college. I was active and loved partnering with God in tangible ways to point others to Jesus. However, in the fall of my junior year, I became extremely fatigued. My muscles and joints were sore, and I had a constant headache. I had to medically withdraw from school. After being bedridden for nearly a year and making repeated trips to the doctor, I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Even with treatment, I didn’t notice much improvement. Frustration and discouragement became my daily reality. Since I was young, I had longed to have an eternally significant impact. I fervently asked God to work in and through my life in meaningful ways. Now, as I looked over the landscape of my life, I saw utter barrenness. I had plans to serve Him but felt as if I couldn’t do anything of value in my weakened, limited condition. So, I became very angry with God for allowing this to happen.

Thankfully, over the next several years, the Lord lovingly revealed that the very limitations I was kicking against were actually an answer to my prayers about accomplishing something with eternal significance. He used my health-related restrictions to point me to an avenue of ministry that is wide open and tremendously effective. Though my illness prevented me from doing many good things, there was still something very important that I could do — PRAY!

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 5:16

I’ve been attending Fellowship Greenville for nearly 12 years. During that time, God has invited me to serve in this area of prayer. Pastor Trenton asked if I would be willing to facilitate a prayer group that meets weekly between the two Sunday morning worship services. The vision is to support our FG leaders, staff, ministries, and church family through prayer. Because of all that Christ accomplished in His death and resurrection, we who believe in Him can boldly approach the throne of grace! I’m amazed that we can cooperate with the Almighty, and our limitations don’t limit Him!

When we pray, we can join with God to bring light into some of the darkest corners of the world! We can partner with Him to uplift and strengthen His servants who are out on the frontlines—facing intense spiritual battles and persecution. Looking back, I can see how the Lord has redeemed one of the hardest struggles in my life. He worked through it to guide me into an exciting prayer ministry. So, if you’re struggling with various limitations (whether physical, financial, or in some other area), I encourage you to consider something. Could God be calling you into a deeper prayer life? I’ve seen how He can use our prayers to have a lasting impact on the world around us. I’ve also found that He works through prayer to change my own heart, shaping it to become more like His. The Creator of the universe calls us to look beyond our limitations, cry out to Him in prayer, and then watch and see what He can do.