Pray Anywhere, Anytime

“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18, NASB.

I had asked my prayer network to pray for me to have divine appointments while I gathered photos at Buddhist celebrations of Vesak. As usual, He responded to the prayers of His children in an unexpected and delightful way!

Whenever I go to a temple, I always seek someone out to ask permission to take photos. Inside the main sanctuary I met three monks sitting off to the side. While English is the language of administration in the Southeast Asian island nation I live in, I’ve learned that many monks are from other countries. I had no idea if they would understand me or not.

The monk smiled, and granted my request to take photos. He said, “Feel free to go anywhere in the temple.” I commented on his good English, and asked where he was from. He and the other monks had just come in from Burma for the celebration. “We will be here for two months,” he said. He motioned to a nun sitting nearby. “She has better English. She is a teacher of Buddhism.”

After snapping a few pictures, I couldn’t resist asking the nun some questions. I said, “Vesak is a special holiday for Buddhist. What do you find most meaningful about the celebration?”

“That is a good question,” she said with a smile. “All opportunities to focus on the Buddha and spend time in prayer is good. You should not just pray at temple or during a religious festival. You must pray at all times.”

“Yes,” I agreed. “It is like the Christian who only thinks about Jesus at Christmas. That is not how it is supposed to be. A Christian is to pray at all times.”

“Christians pray every day?” she asked. She seemed surprised.

“Christians are supposed to pray every day,” I said. “Sadly, many Christians miss the joy of that privilege.” After a moment of silence I asked, “When Buddhists pray, who hears them?”

She seemed surprised by the question, but replied softly, “The Buddha hears.”

For the following two hours we discussed many spiritual matters, along with the monk who spoke with me to begin with. While we agreed about the power and necessity of prayer our difference in practice was a stark reminder of why I moved with my family to Southeast Asia. She prayed to a man long dead and in a grave. I pray to the Son of God who conquered death and is alive. She hoped that Buddha would hear. I knew Jesus heard my prayers. The very conversation I was having with her was an answer to prayer.

At the end of our talk, she eagerly agreed to study the Bible if I would mail her a copy in Burmese. I took down her address, and you can be sure that I’ll have a Burmese Bible in the post before the week is out!

Pray that:

In the course of doing a job, Pacific Rim personnel don’t miss opportunities to share the Gospel.

The Bible will touch the heart of this Buddhist nun.

Prayer networks will not lose heart in lifting up the requests that Pacific Rim workers send to them. God is answering those prayers!

Pacific Rim is a region of the International Mission Board, SBC.