A new year’s worth of inspiring stories from the front lines of faith.

"A willingness to go is all they have in common," exclaim Beth Moore and Kim P. Davis, speaking of their friends on the front lines who are spreading the gospel around the world and with whom they collaborated to create this book. This second book of 366 daily devotionals features stories of God’s faithfulness, written by hundreds of missionaries worldwide.

From stirring miracles to heroic adventures, this second volume highlights those who daily go to the outer limits of spiritual devotion.

A follow-up to the first book which has now sold over 300,000 copies.

Voices of the Faithful

By Kim P. Davis

Thomas Nelson

Copyright © 2009 International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-8499-2071-4

Contents

Acknowledgments..................................................................ixForeword by Jerry Rankin.........................................................xiIntroduction.....................................................................xiiiJanuary: Prayer, the Priority....................................................1February: God, Our Loving Father.................................................35March: Divine Appointments.......................................................67April: Jesus, the Sacrificial Lamb...............................................101May: "Follow Me".................................................................135June: The Power of the Story.....................................................169July: Lost and Found.............................................................203August: Making Him Known.........................................................237September: Lessons from the Young................................................271October: From Adversity to Triumph...............................................305November: Be Encouraged..........................................................339December: Hope for the World.....................................................373Index to Devotion Titles by Month................................................407Index to Scriptural References...................................................420Have You Heard God's Voice?......................................................433A Message from the International Mission Board...................................434How to Pray for International Missionaries and People Groups.....................436Your Church's Role in Missions...................................................438About Beth Moore and Living Proof Ministries.....................................440About Kim P. Davis...............................................................441

Chapter One

January

Prayer, the Priority

Even if you and I don't get our words right, if our hearts are right, God hears them. -Beth Moore

Receiving a handwritten letter was not unusual in the early 1990s before the time of e-mail, but I did not recognize the handwriting. News from anyone back home was a treat, so I tore open the envelope and began to read. The letter writer introduced himself as David. He explained that God had called him to a ministry of intercession for missionaries. He quoted Scripture, gave encouragement, and again assured us that he was praying for us on a regular basis.

I didn't think too much about that letter I received during our first year as International Mission Board missionaries in South Africa until we got a second, third, fourth, and more letters from the same man. After 13 years as missionaries and four years of my husband working on staff at the IMB, we are still receiving letters from David telling us the ways in which he is praying for us and our ministries. Even after 17 years.

My husband and I met David in 2001 at a conference center in Glorieta, New Mexico. In appearance, he was totally unassuming. I probably wouldn't have noticed him in a crowd. He humbly introduced himself to us and explained that he had been writing us and praying for us. I couldn't believe I was meeting this committed prayer warrior. What surprised me even more was the fact that he went up to every missionary at that conference and told them the same thing.

We spoke to several of our colleagues. They all had been in correspondence with David. He prays for thousands of missionaries. Boy, was I glad to be on his list! Who knows what his prayers have accomplished all over the world. We were absolutely sure that God had powerfully worked through his prayers in our own ministry.

Faithful intercessors are hard to come by, but they are absolutely vital for kingdom work. God raises up people like David because He wants His people to have the joy of making a difference on earth. This month, you will read stories of how prayer makes a difference. Even when we aren't sure how to pray for the people groups of the world or for missionaries, God hears us and His Spirit helps us know how to pray. In one devotion, Joe says, "One of the great privileges of prayer is the ability to be a part of what God is doing. We may not know the people or the results of those prayers until we get to heaven, but what a glad day it will be when we meet them face-to-face."

This month, and in fact this year, God is calling you to a new journey of prayer for the nations, for missionaries, for lost people around you, and for yourself as you participate in kingdom work. He is giving you an opportunity to be part of what He is doing in our world today. Become a David. -Kim P. Davis

How important is prayer?

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16b (NKJV)

We received word that our translator could not go with us to an unreached city where we hoped to start future ministry. Feeling God's leadership to keep the appointment, we spent the travel time frantically practicing basic Russian and asking God to miraculously equip us to communicate. The meeting with the city leader was a challenge, but successful. It was over a year later, however, that we learned the true miracle of that meeting when the leader told us, "As I watched you struggle to communicate and saw your hearts of love, I began to question why a family would come from the West to the middle of nowhere to help me. There must be a God who loves me very much. I decided to make room in my life for Him." Dumbstruck and convicted, we realized that our initial prayers had been focused on our inadequacies, not on the salvation of this man. We had forgotten the most important thing!

We all understand that prayer is crucial to world missions, but we sometimes forget to pray or even lose sight of what to pray for. With millions lost with no access to the Gospel, our intercession must be daily. Countless lives hang in the balance! We need to ask anew for God to "teach us to pray" (Luke 11:1, NASB). -Rusty and Lori, European Peoples

Our Father, teach me to pray for the lost of the world and for missionaries who faithfully serve You. May my prayer life be radically changed this year, and may millions come to know You, the one true God. Amen.

Could you teach me how to pray?

"Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, 'Lord, teach us to pray.'" Luke 11:1 (NLT)

A neighborhood Bible study started in Lucy's home. Lucy's 78-year-old father-in-law, Jos, showed up from time to time at the study hour, but he would always sit on the other side of the porch despite repeated invitations to join the group.

On those early Thursday mornings, Jos began to inch closer, but He never joined. The chronological Bible stories captivated the listeners. They asked questions and prayed for each other. Although only about seven or eight attended each week, they began to grow spiritually.

One morning, Jos arrived late. He sat a little closer to the group. The...