By David Lyons
“What is God saying to us?”
That was the question before the Navigator International Executive Team after two days of seeking God in Nepal in early 2016. The answer was clear, yet mysterious: “Lead from and into bold faith.” Our hearts resonated. We knew God was leading. But what would that look like?
In the following months, I began asking Navigators all over the world, “What are you praying that God will do in the next six months that only God could do?” I began to hear how our fellow workers were embracing this faith adventure and seeing miraculous answers to their prayers: a transformed prodigal son, astonishing funding, even physical healing.
Then I was asked to organize prayer for the International Forum. “Lord, what would it look like to develop this forum with bold faith?” The Lord gave me an idea from Matthew 18:19, which says, "If two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.”
What would it look like for Navigators around the world to agree in intense prayer for something only God could do through the forum? We did not know, but we began with our team, agreeing in prayer for these three God-sized requests:
We prayed that God would lead our international leadership community to focus together on the greater things that the Father intends to do in and through us (John 5:20; 14:12).
We prayed that God would lead us into world changing oneness with Him and with one another (John 17:23).
We prayed that God would lead us to believe so boldly that we will see His glory displayed among the nations (John 11:40).
Month by month others joined us, agreeing in prayer around these three requests. Each month, more and more Navigators participated with us from all over the world, sometimes via video conference calls in the middle of the night. By August, 60 intercessors were praying together.
Then, two weeks before the event, someone suggested that we invite others to pray with us daily during the forum. We sent out a few invitations, and the response was beyond what we could imagine. Another 250 intercessors, people who could not attend the forum, volunteered! Our anticipation ballooned.
Then it happened. Every day at the forum we saw a flurry of answers to our prayers:
Greater things: Leader after leader spontaneously exhorted us to believe God to reach beyond our competencies, to believe God for greater things, to have courage in the face of danger, to see breakthroughs in hard places. There was an electric sense of anticipation of what God was about to do, combined with an authentic confession of our desperate need.
World changing oneness with the Father: Every day of the forum began with an hour of seeking God together. Plus, there were spur-of-the-moment gatherings of Navigators seeking God for a greater openness to the work of the Holy Spirit among us.
World changing oneness with each other: We saw remarkable unity emerge from tremendous international diversity. Humility produced that unity. A region that could have easily boasted about its fruitfulness instead “boasted” about its weakness and need to grow in partnering. Several other countries and regions were deeply challenged to follow that example of humility.
Believing boldly: Every day I saw unplanned and planned prayer gatherings springing up. Navigators were praying fierce warrior prayers together as they boldly sought God for solutions to challenging obstacles.
How about you? What are you believing God for in the next six months that only He could do?
David Lyons is an International Vice President of The Navigators. He serves our 5,000 staff in more than 100 countries by coaching leaders and leading change. David is author of Don’t Waste the Pain.
