It can seem hard to know whether our prayers for others are heard, or even answered. Yet despite the sporadic nature of our prayer life, we can know that God hears and responds, as we see in this story from Rev. Ana Fletcher, from St Peter’s Anglican Church in Gonville, Whanganui.

Since moving to Whanganui, there is a family that has been on our hearts. We knew that life was pretty full on for them. When we imagined what it would be like for someone in our neighbourhood to become part of our church whānau, it was their faces that immediately came to mind. Over the past three years we have prayed for them - it has been sporadic. Not consistent. And for three years, it seemed like little had shifted.

There’s another family that came into our lives just under a year ago and that we journeyed with really closely. They dipped in and out of contact with us. Every time we prayed for them during our ‘prayer for others’ in the morning, we would reconnect. Bump into the mum at the dairy. See one of the kids at school pick up. So many people from our church community have invested in this family offering prayer, hospitality, and advocacy.

And then suddenly, in the past three months, both of these families have started coming to St Peter’s. Although we didn’t realise it, God’s Spirit was at work behind the scenes - and in both cases through a series of events that we (and they!) didn’t expect, these whanau are now committed parts of our St Peter’s community.

When I reflect on these stories, I am reminded that our prayers for others are effective! And yet, I am so inconsistent in praying for them.

The thing is, that I suck at discipline. I’m not good at routine. One of the reasons that Thy Kingdom Come is so important is that it gets me back into the rhythm of praying for others, it helps me to recall how effective it has been when I have done so, and inspires me to keep doing it with consistency.

TKC has really helpful tools for people like me who can’t quite get the routine down. For example, a few weeks ago I rediscovered a necklace that was given to me at my ordination. It has a verse inscribed on it. And now, every time I touch the necklace I am reminded of that verse and God’s words of grace over me. One of the ways that I am going to engage in TKC this year is to use a bracelet with beads on it representing my five. Every time I notice it on my wrist, I will be prompted to pray.