Welcome to our new Need Prayer blog series! We are excited to launch a new series where we introduce the incredible team behind our mission. Each week, you’ll have the opportunity to get to know the dedicated individuals who stand ready and waiting to pray with and for those in need. Stay tuned as we bring you closer to the hearts and minds of our team members, starting with their personal introduction blogs. We hope these stories inspire and connect you with the people who make Need Prayer a beacon of hope and faith.
This week, meet Hannah!
My name is Hannah and well, I work for Need Prayer 😊
God placed me in a household with parents who knew, loved, and practiced loving Jesus. So, from saying yes to Jesus around 3 years old (I even started getting my older brother in trouble less – Jesus must have definitely worked overtime in my little heart!), to losing my way, and then being assured of my faith in Christ and that the Father had me in His hands 110% in Grade 9 (John 10:28-30), to God taking me to the other side of the world for a gap year where He was constantly calling me out of fearful living and sending people along my path who showed me Jesus, to even going through the covid-19 year where God was definitely chasing me. Yet, even in between all these memorable, pivotal moments – where I was consumed with doubt and struggling with sin – God was still there, calling me, and enabling me to be still and do life with Him. So, what can I say – it has been a journey …. still is 😊 And I am so grateful that He did not give up on me, but opened my stubborn, independent heart to the Father’s love and Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for me.
The Power of Prayer
I believe and have experienced firsthand how prayer matters. I remember reading from the missionary Hudson Taylor, “Learn to move man, through God, by prayer alone.” I decided to test this out years ago in the simplest of circumstances: my brothers were supposed to be helping with the dishes. But once again it was my mother and I cleaning up whilst my brothers’ square eyes were glued to the television screen. The whole whining and constant asking did not work. And for some reason, I remembered the Hudson Taylor quote. So, I asked God to please change their minds. Within seconds, and without me even asking them, they got up and started helping. This verse rings true: “… pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests …” (Ephesians 6:18-19). Yet, in ‘bigger’ things too, God has provided and spoken and enabled: for finances for schooling, to parking spaces, a fridge, future guidance, friends, wisdom, remembrance of things forgotten, and the list is endless. The Holy Spirit is so at work where we cannot see.
God’s Mercy and Faithful Prayer
I honestly know that I probably would not be alive today if not for Christ and his mercy in saving me out of such a dark, sad, purposeless life. Moreover, He also blessed me with faithful parents and others who prayed for me to know Him. And I know that made a difference because they were persistent in their prayers (Luke 18:1-8). God also fills me with much joy and purpose when I help people, through praying and in practical ways, and I know He wants me to use my gift of encouragement more and more. So, getting involved with Need Prayer was definitely attractive to me. God calls us to be on mission for and with Him in reaching out to people, and what better way to share Christ with people all over South Africa than in Need Prayer.
Growth Through Prayer
Not only am I now growing in my prayer life – but I am getting to spend more time with God in prayer, and learning how to pray, because praying for people is a challenging business. There is so much happening where we cannot see, so what best way to fight in this world than with the proper tools – God’s Word in prayer (Ephesians 6:12). Total sidenote, I love God’s Word and all these verses I’ve included in my blog, are incredible! So, check them out – your mind will be blown! We are called to fight like Jesus did when He was tempted in the wilderness – with the Bible (Matthew 4:1-11). There can be healing from fear and not living life to the full – it can all be found in Jesus.
To chat with me, submit a prayer request.