Editor’s note: This June, China Partnership is continuing a year of praying for cities around China with a month of prayer for Nanjing. We are again re-running a 2018 interview with a Nanjing pastor’s wife. She shares how her church prays, and how she has experienced God’s supernatural work through prayer. Prayer gives us God’s vision for our neighbors, both next door and around the world. Through prayer, we can know both God and others more intimately.

This article has been lightly edited and condensed from the original version.  

Prayer in the Church

Every Sunday gathering our church prays a lot. During worship, an emcee leads in meditation and praying verses. We sing together and pray several times in several different small groups.

People in our church with a special burden for prayer also gather daily online. In the morning, there is a 45-minute prayer time before people go work or study. In this way those who want to pray can gather online. We bought an online room so we can all go into the same [virtual] room to pray. There is another evening prayer time people can join to pray for the church, for China, or for other countries.

Prayer [should] not be something you do to tell others: “I am a good Christian.” Prayer is more than that.

We are planning a missions prayer group. We want to challenge people with a burden for missions to make a small group to pray for missions, and carry that burden to pass it to others. Our church leaders get together once a week and pray for our team, for church planting, whatever God is putting in our hearts.

I feel our church really needs to learn how to pray, and how to teach prayer’s importance and priority. We need to grow a lot. Pray we will grow in this area.

Prayer meetings are good, but you cannot force people to pray. Even if they join a prayer meeting, if their heart is far from the Lord or each other, prayer is [just] a show. Prayer [should] not be something you do to tell others: “I am a good Christian.” Prayer is more than that.

Prayer Is Communication

I like to talk with and counsel people. But I pray while I counsel. Sometimes, God shows me things totally not from my original thoughts. I will share with them what I communicated with God while I was talking with them. That way, I am teaching prayer. You are not only praying with God, you are talking with people at the same time. You communicate with and listen to God, then use what you learn from the Lord to apply to others’ lives.

I will give an example. One sister came to talk to me about joining a mission trip. Once she came, her mood was very strange. She looked sad and unfocused. So I prayed with her and in my heart, continually thinking and praying about what was happening. I felt that God told me, “[Missions] is not her issue. She is running away from herself.”

So I told her that. I said, “I could be wrong, but I feel like you are running away from yourself. I feel like you have other issues you want to talk about with me. What is it?” She said, “You are right. I don’t know how you know this, but you are right.”

While she was silent, I felt God finally tell me what her problem was… She was amazed. Out of millions of possibilities, I said the one thing she was afraid of telling me. It must have been the Lord.

But she could not talk. She was too burdened. We prayed a bit more. I waited and prayed. I said, “God, give her the courage to share.” But she could not continue. I waited about an hour. I felt God tell me, “Hang in there. She needs your company, and she needs courage. You have to wait.” If it had just been me, I would have given up. But the Lord just let me pat her, pray for her, and patiently wait. Finally, she told me the thing she really wanted to share.

She said three weeks ago something started to burden her so much, but she did not want to and did not know how to share. She told the Lord, “There is no possibility I will share this with anyone. I will die and I will not share it.” She wanted to run away from herself. She said, “I will go to another place and not face this.” On the subway as she was coming to me, she finally gave up. She prayed, “Okay, since you are God and you know everything, I pray that you do it yourself. I won’t tell anyone. You find a way to let it out. I won’t say it.”

It was me, then. I said it. While she was silent, I felt God finally tell me what her problem was. So it was very weird, but I asked her, “Do you have [this problem]? Is it this that you’re worrying about? Did [this thing] happen to you?” She was amazed. Out of millions of possibilities, I said the one thing she was afraid of telling me. It must have been the Lord. She was so surprised her prayer was answered.

Prayer is communication between you and God. You have to be attentive, and God can do anything through prayer.

Although it was hard for her and the waiting was hard for me, it was worth it. It built both of our faith. Even though she was stubborn and felt ashamed, she knows God knows her heart. She can trust the Lord. Even though she is stubborn, he loves her and is patient with her. Through prayer, people can be connected. It is amazing.

Prayer Helps Us See

I rarely think about why Chinese people should pray for America. But America is also in the world. America is leading the world in various directions in many areas. We definitely need to pray for America: to not fall apart, to not spiritually decay. We can pray for you, although I rarely think from this perspective.

The Lord doesn’t just love one nation, he wants us to love the neighbor far away. There is no way you can, through your own eyes, see another country. You can only see your next-door neighbor. But God also wants you to love the neighbor you can [only] fly to.

It’s almost like, “Oh they are great. They have so many good churches. So many good people pray for China and the world. They do not need prayer. They send missionaries. They are strong, they are blessed.” And it is true in a sense, but at the same time they also need prayer.

There are a lot of wonderful stories and I see a lot of good examples of how people in America pray for us. Prayer moved different groups of people to come to China and do missions. Action [is not the only important thing]; loving people through prayer is also important.

We can only see through our eyes, but prayer helps us see from the Lord: he doesn’t just love one nation, he wants us to love the neighbor far away. There is no way you can, through your own eyes, see another country. You can only see your next-door neighbor. But God also wants you to love the neighbor you can [only] fly to. The same way, Chinese people need to know that not only China is in God’s eyes and heart. We must love people, the whole country, and the whole world.

Swimmer (a pseudonym) was converted in 1998. She is married to a pastor and is studying for ministry alongside her husband.

Pray for Nanjing believers to pray passionately for those in their city and around the world. Pray God’s power will be seen in Nanjing through prayer.