Week: How to Pray...
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
God of rescue and restoration, thank You for Your beautiful mission to save the whole world. Here we are, Lord. Fill us with Your Spirit, and send us so that we can join in with Your mission.
Betty Greene traveled across the world to share the good news of Jesus. Let’s REFLECT on what the Bible says about how God is with us wherever we go in the world with some words from Psalm 139.
Read by Zoë
Psalm 139:7-10
I can never escape from your Spirit!
I can never get away from your presence!
If I go up to heaven, you are there;
if I go down to the grave, you are there.
If I ride the wings of the morning,
if I dwell by the farthest oceans,
even there your hand will guide me,
and your strength will support me.
Psalm 139:7-10 NLT
Betty Green was born in Seattle in the USA in 1920, and from a very young age, she had two passions; her faith in Jesus and her love of aeroplanes! When she was just a teenager, Betty started taking flying lessons, and she was so good at it that by the time she was 16, she’d passed all her pilots exams and was allowed to fly on her own.
Betty longed to combine her two great loves. ’I am eagerly awaiting the time’, she said, ‘when God will use my flying to take the glorious gospel of our blessed God to those who are without Christ.’ And it wasn’t long before she found a way to do just that. While she was in her 20s, Betty helped to launch the Mission Aviation Fellowship; a group of pilots who flew Bibles and supplies to Christian missionaries who were living in hard to reach places, sharing the good news about Jesus with people who had never heard it before.
Flying planes wasn’t easy back then. Betty had no computers or apps to guide her. She had to navigate all by herself, often following the routes of rivers and roads from above. But for many years she flew her small planes, often through wild storms, to land on dirt strips and jungle clearings instead of proper runways. In total she flew to 32 countries, and the Mission Aviation Fellowship has continued to this day.
Let’s pause and talk about today’s question, which is: If we could drive or pilot any vehicle, on land, in the air or even in the sea, what would it be, and why?
Betty used what she loved doing most to serve God. Let’s take a few moments to think about the things that we love doing.
Lord, we ASK You to show us how we might be able to use these things to tell other people the good news about Jesus. Maybe You could start by connecting us with other Christians who have similar passions, just like You did for Betty.
It’s estimated that there are more than 1.3 billion people who still haven’t heard the good news about Jesus because they’ve never met a Christian who could tell them.*
Lord Jesus, we ASK You to give more and more people the courage to leave where they live and take the good news of God’s great love to people who have never heard it. We long for the day when people from every community in the world have been brought into Your family.
When she realised that God could use her flying skills, Betty was overjoyed. ‘I leaped for joy,’ she said, ‘at the thrilling thought of combining flying with my love for God.’
How do we feel about sharing the news about Jesus with our friends who might not know about him? Do we feel excited? Or do we feel a bit nervous? Maybe we feel both? Betty’s story reminds us that even though it isn’t easy sometimes, following Jesus and telling others about His love for them is always an adventure!
Pause
Let’s say YES to God together.
Lord God, we say YES to the adventure of sharing Your love with people who don’t know about You. Make us daring and brave like Betty Greene was. May we experience the fun and joy of seeing new people put their faith in You.
Pause
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
Sources:
https://maf.org/about/history/betty-greene/
https://canonjjohn.com/2022/09/03/heroes-of-the-faith-betty-greene/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mission_Aviation_Fellowship
*https://pray1040.com/unreached-people-groups-the-ultimate-guide/
Chris lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two boys. He works for 24-7 Prayer Australia and Red Church and is also a professional musician. When he’s not working or drumming Chris enjoys going on long hikes in the mountains with his boys and playing table tennis.
Zoë Thandeka (Thandi) is 13 and she lives in Guildford, in the UK, with her family. She loves football (her favourite football team is Liverpool FC), Top Gear and car-spotting. When she’s older, Zoë wants to be a photographer or work with animals in some way.
