Praying

Nations Day 15 Praying For The Nations

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Revelation 7:9-17
1 Thessalonians 1:2-10
Titus 2:11-3:8

Nations, Day 15

“When we meet someone from a different culture, race, or social class
who has received the same grace (of Christ), we see someone who has been through
the same life-and-death experience.

In Christ, we have both spiritually died and been raised to new life. And because of this common experience of rescue, we now share an identity marker even more indelible than the ties that bind us to our family, our race, or our culture.”
Tim Keller, Center Church: Doing Balanced Gospel Centered Ministry In Your City

I grew up in the church.
But my eyes focused on myself and how “good” I was because I was associated with the church.

Then I hated the church.
Finding hypocrisy everywhere, I spurned God and loathed the “false cover” of “church”.

Then, I became passionate about my local church.
In discovering the heart of God, I loved church, for it was His Body. Still, my eyes saw only the inside of a building.

Gradually, the Lord brought friends into my life who challenged me about my ethnocentric way of viewing life and church. I didn’t even see the peoples and nations around the globe, let alone how they were represented in my own community.

Graciously, the Lord shattered my view of church and began replacing it with His own.

The Black family down the street whose son loves to play monster trucks with my boys. The Muslim couple who walks my neighborhood streets. The Buddhist shop owner who schedules my daughter’s nail appointments. The Indian man and his family who makes the most delicious chicken pulao. They each have names, families, stories and a hole that only Christ can fill.

Sisters, the Nations are at my front door and yours.

For far too long, my response has been to focus on the work being done inside the four walls of the building I call “church”, when really, I, with you, with my Nigerian sister, with my Indian brother, with my Malay friend, are the Church.

So I urge you, please, beg the Lord to expand your view of His beautiful Church, then step up and in and love the Nations as you courageously hold out the unshakeable Hope of Jesus Christ to all people.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people.” (Titus 2:11)

For three weeks, we have read the stories of women just like you who are passionate about sharing Jesus in their cultures. I plead with you now to not let these stories simply pass you by. Instead, let’s ask the Lord God to stir our hearts to pray for the Nations.

Pray for Sarah and the local churches in Nigeria.
Turn the tide of darkness back on itself, Lord God. Bring revival among the wives, daughters, and young women of Jos. Silence those who place their hope in witchcraft, using Enemy tools as an excuse to remain in darkness. (Pray 1 Peter 2:9-10 for Nigeria)

Pray for Marietta and the Black community.
Give our Black brothers and sisters endurance and boldness to keep fighting for righteousness. Lord Jesus, stir us all to deep, radical, transformative love. Remind us that none who follow You can innocently stand by as injustice continues unmitigated. (Pray Isaiah 30:18 for the oppressed)

Pray for the persecuted believers in Malaysia.
Lord Jesus, embolden the believers in Malaysia to hold fast to truth and invest deeply in relationship with their Muslim friends and neighbors. Encourage them and feed them from Your truth. Remind them they are not alone and the cost of following You is worth it! (Pray Deuteronomy 10:18-21 for Malaysia)

Pray for Lesley and the people of Scotland.
Lord God, bring boldness where fear threatens. Shine the light of Truth on these believers as they face the reality of living within a nearly “unreached people group” for the gospel. Raise up ordinary men, women, and children to speak truth in love. (Pray 2 Thessalonians 1:3-8 for Scotland)

Pray for Christine and the churches in Australia.
Being submerged in a culture that runs so counter to You, we pray Your Spirit would make every believer’s life to blaze with the brilliance of Your glory.  We ask for the believers to be bound together as they urge one another to seek out the sick and lost with love and Hope. (Pray Matthew 25:35 for Australia)

Pray for Anna and the believers in Switzerland and Sweden.
Lord Jesus, You love all people of all nations and races. Press this truth upon those who love and follow You in Sweden and Switzerland. May they view their unique place in the world as a means of sharing how You bring all of us together in Yourself. Anchor them in truth. (Pray Isaiah 42:5-7 for Switzerland and Sweden)

Pray for Laurie and the orphaned in Zambia.
Jesus, give Your wisdom to those who love You and who love the people of Zambia. Give them clarity in knowing how to communicate the full satisfaction that comes from trusting You alone. Stir hearts to embrace You as the One True God above all others. (Pray Isaiah 45:5-7 for Zambia)

Pray for Janna and church planters across North America.
Father, the work of planting your gospel seed and shepherding Your flock is long and difficult. Encourage those You have called to lead Your church in North America. Embolden them to study Your Word and train others to tenaciously hold to truth as they seek Your face. (Pray Titus 2:11-15 for North America)

Lord, may each one of us seek to know You more deeply and love Your Church more tenderly as we bring Your hope to the nations!

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Open Day 11 Messy Hope

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Acts 16:25-34
1 Corinthians 9:15-27
1 Peter 1:3-6

Open, Day 11

Trash littered the ravine.
The small stream that had carved its way through the space trickled over a hodge-podge collection of rocks and discarded waste. The ravine sides rose to host small homes built from cardboard, random pieces of wood, and anything else that could be used to create some sort of barrier from the elements. A small space, think the size of a large walk-in closet, is home for an entire family whose main meal of the day are mud cakes baked as the sun began to rise.
Welcome to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

I had the opportunity to visit Haiti before the massive earthquake in 2010 that caused so much destruction. The impact of which played out in the media for all the world to see, but this is the picture that most readily comes to mind. I pray this vivid memory never fades.

My introduction to the community that lived surrounding the ravine came as I followed the missionary with whom we were working as she delivered medication to those in need. She was a force to be reckoned with and refused to hold back the hope she carried with her. In fact, I sensed the Lord whisper one of the most profound phrases to me as I stood there watching her interactions: messy hope.

Messy hope. My mind whirled as the truth of those words sunk deep into my heart. Spreading the hope of Christ would require my willingness to get messy. I could not reach those who desperately needed to experience Christ if I insistently clung to a mindset of avoiding uncomfortable interactions, being inconvenienced, or being unwilling to engage in conflict-laden scenarios. In that moment in the ravine, I understood the invitation that had just been placed before me. Was I willing to get messy for the Kingdom, to be uncomfortable, and be willing to go the extra step to meet others searching for the Light?

This moment in my history came to mind as I read another moment in history recorded in Acts 16. Paul and Silas found themselves in jail, praying and worshipping the Lord as they awaited next steps. In the midst of this, an earthquake shook the jail, the doors opened, and all restraints released. Now in every action movie I’ve ever seen, this is the cue for the entire prison population to escape as quickly and quietly as possible, especially since the jailer reportedly remained fast asleep through it all.

This, however, was not the response of Paul and Silas.
In fact, when the jailer awoke, Paul announced that everyone was still present.
Everyone.
The Word specifically mentions that the other prisoners were listening to Paul and Silas pray. This means that when those doors swung open and shackles dropped away, all the prisoners refrained from bolting for the door.
But why?

Scripture does not specify, but for me personally, if I had just heard two men praying and worshipping while incarcerated, they would have my attention. When the earthquake arrived and the doors shook open, I may have had the thought to bolt until I realized my chains were still solidly in place. However, when those unfastened — not just loosened from the wall, but unfastened — I would have been captivated to discover what happened next.

Something was different about these two men.
They obviously had some sort of connection to the God to whom they prayed.
So, when they remained in their cell, I probably would have too.
Maybe the reality of that much power caused a pause.
Maybe the story was just too intriguing to ignore.
Maybe God had so arrested the attention of the other prisoners, they simply could not tear their eyes away from the scene playing out before them.
Whatever the reason, all the prisoners were still present when the jailer awoke.

Now the jailer’s first response before hearing Paul’s announcement was to draw his sword to kill himself. Death was likely the outcome for this jailer by his superior had the prisoners truly made a getaway.
All hope was gone.
Until…

Until he heard the voice of Paul from within the jail, the gross, smelly, uncomfortable, foul cell. Instead of a clean escape, Paul and Silas chose the messy hope route.

This hospitality was not about presenting the best meals or making someone feel comfortable in your home. This hospitality was about creating a space for the hope of Christ to be presented, tasted, and seen, even in the midst of deplorable conditions.

The jailer, captivated by their bold declaration of the gospel, opens his own home to Paul and Silas. Through their interaction, the jailer’s hospitality, and Paul and Silas’ willingness to offer messy hope despite their circumstances, the entire household comes to the Lord.

So, my question for you, dear sister, is this:
What are your opportunities to offer messy hope?

We all have them, we just tend to excuse them away as messes to avoid. What if we, as a collective whole of Jesus-following-sisters, decided to intentionally enter into the mess, whatever it was, just like Jesus did for us?
I wonder who just might end up being rescued from their sin for eternity as a result!

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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Open Week Three! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Open!