Why Pray?
Amy Ruff
Why should we pray?
My husband and I went to Ghana with the hope of being used by God to train believers there to be disciple-makers. Our mission organization required us to have committed prayer partners before we could go. Little did we know the impact they would have. We saw God work miracles.
Within the first few weeks of being in the country, God orchestrated a divine appointment to connect us to a key leader, who has discipled hundreds in Ghana and other west African countries. This was the first door God opened. We trained together. God’s answer to prayer.
While this leader was in a neighboring country, training and praying with the people who led him to Christ, someone knocked on the door: "I’m not sure why I am knocking on this door, but the Lord compelled me to knock. What is happening here?" The man came in. He was trained. He was sent back to his home village to train others. God brought him, trained him, and sent him in answer to prayer.
The Lord led us to develop a recording studio to make audio recordings of the Bible in the various languages of the country so everyone could have access. One day in the market, we met a man who had been a believer for many years. Through the studio, he had received a chip for his phone with the entire Bible in audio form. As he thanked us, he wept. He said, “I’ve been a follower of Jesus for many years, but because I cannot read, I have never heard the Bible in my own tongue. I’ve only had the chance for someone to tell me what it says in church. I now listen to the Bible every night with my family, and we can all understand.” Another God moment.
As the disciple-makers were trained, they were sent out to remote villages to pray for people and share God’s story. In one village they met the chief’s son who was out of his mind almost all the time. They had tried everything, but nothing changed. The disciple-makers shared the gospel and began praying. Before they left, they told the people that God had spoken to them while they prayed. He revealed that there were some idols buried in a field. They recommended that they dig them up and burn them. Just one week later when they returned, they found this young man in his right mind. Many accepted Christ as payment for their sin.
Not only did we see God work in miraculous ways among the unreached, but we also experienced a new depth in our own relationships with God. Discovering a lump in my breast eleven months after arriving in country shook us to the core. The national believers prayed, and God healed my body by shrinking the fast-growing tumor. Through prayer I came to know God as my Healer, Provider, Guide, and Best Friend.
Paul encourages us: “Be patient in trouble and keep on praying” (Romans 12:12 NLT). I’ve learned prayer is more than a ritual—it is a lifeline between my heart and God’s.
Amy came from a rich heritage of faithful followers of Jesus. She was baptized at the age of ten and began a life-long ministry journey leading her to Ozark Christian College where she met her husband, Terry, and graduated with a Bachelor of Christian Education.
They served together in a touring group focused on youth, followed by a small church pastorate in central Illinois, then a multi-staff church in Bloomington, Indiana, where Amy worked at Indiana University as a contract manager. Next, they moved to New Albany, Indiana where Amy served as Women’s Minister and then Missions Minister.
This leg of the journey led them to move to Ghana, West Africa where they experienced a disciple-making movement that has resulted in thousands of disciples in simple multiplying churches. Amy also completed a Master of Arts in Catalytic Leadership (Fidelis) from Dallas Christian College where she continues to facilitate other cohorts on the continent.
After fourteen years in Ghana, Amy and her husband moved to California to live with their son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren because of health issues. Amy now serves on NEWIM's Board of Directors and is on the leadership team of Christian Worship Center in Hollister, CA in addition to leading Fidelis cohorts, coaching and training in disciple-making globally and locally.