Here's an excerpt from the 40 Day of Prayer Guide. Download your guide before August 7 with the included link.

Dear Global Methodists, John Wesley often said that “God does nothing except in response to believing prayer.” If God is to accomplish his purposes through us, Wesley was convinced that prayer was not an option for us, but a necessity.

Watchman Nee, the great Chinese Christian leader (1903-1972), explained it like this: Prayer is like laying tracks for a train. You can have a powerful locomotive—and surely, God is all powerful. The cars of the train can be loaded with wonderful gifts—and surely, God desires to abundantly give us good gifts.

But a train can only go as far as the tracks that are laid for it. And it is through persistent, believing prayer that the tracks are laid so that the train carrying those gifts can arrive.

For months now, we have been looking forward with great anticipation to our historic Convening General Conference, set for September 20-26 in San José, Costa Rica. The theme of the Conference is “So the World Will Know.” Delegates from provisional annual conferences from all over the world will be coming together to worship, pray, fellowship, deliberate and legislate. Many significant decisions will be made that will profoundly shape the future of our church.

How crucial it is then for us to be “laying the tracks for the train” through persistent, believing prayer. For surely, above all else, we need the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to show up in our midst during the Convening General Conference to guide, direct and lead us forward!

That’s why we have designated August 7 through September 15 as 40 Days of Prayer for the Convening General Conference. During this 40-Day timeframe, we want to encourage all sorts of prayer--individual, corporate, and even concerts of prayer in your regions or local churches, both in person and electronically.

To assist you, we have prepared the enclosed 40-Day Prayer Guide, with a specific prayer focus for each day leading up to the Convening General Conference.

We also want to encourage you to add fasting to your prayers since that was a regular practice of early Methodists. As John Wesley emphasized, “When you seek God with fasting added to prayer, you cannot seek His face in vain.” We hope, then, that many will commit to fasting for one meal on a given day each week, or for a given day (from morning till evening) each week throughout the 40 days. Some may also be led to go on an extended fast. Of course, regardless of how you might choose to fast, please do not jeopardize your physical health.

Jesus instructed us to ask, seek, and knock (Luke 11:9). We believe that if we will do that, what Jesus promised will come true (Luke 11:13): Your Father in heaven will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13). And when the Spirit comes, we will experience the glory of God in our midst.

Yours in Christ,

Steve Seamands on behalf of the Convening General Conference Prayer Committee

Click here for the prayer guide.