I just love Jesus, don’t you? I love how He walked and talked with people – just common people, sinners, those the religious leaders least expected Him to interact with. I love how He often withdrew to lonely places to be with His Father. I love how He was so moved with compassion that He touched people, healed people, called them out of sin and into peace. He taught in the synagogues, but He didn’t stay there.
I so want to be His hands and feet and live the life He wants to live through me. I mostly fail at it, but, oh, how I long to be more like Him!
I have always wanted to travel the world and share the Word and worship with people from all different cultures and walks of life. I keep waiting for God to give me that opportunity again. But then I look around at my community and realize this is my mission field.
To be honest, I realized recently that I had given up on my community and just begun to look elsewhere to minister, but I don’t believe that is God’s will for any of us. I love my community. I love the people here. I can’t give up, even when it looks bleakest.
God works best when we believe Him for the most!
Several years ago, a friend and I used to do what we called “drive-by prayer.” We would meet once a week and go to a different town in our county and drive around praying. We would pray for the churches, schools, businesses, and families. We would pray for God’s Spirit to move in each area, for Him to bring revival to the churches, renewal to the schools, prosperity to the businesses, salvation and healing to the families.
And God was working!
But life got in the way, and so many things have changed. We have all gone in different directions; life has gotten busier. Ministries have closed; businesses have shut down. Our world seems to be changing, and not for the better. Or is it that we don’t pray as we once did?
What if Jesus were here, walking down the streets of my community? What would He do, where would He go, what words would He speak? Would He still withdraw for times of prayer?
Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (NIV).
I think He would do what He did when He walked this earth. And He wants me to do the same. Beginning in my Jerusalem.
What if we all got out of the church walls and started taking it to the streets? What if each of us found a prayer partner and began to cover our communities in prayer – driving, walking, getting out into the community?
Every great revival or move of God began with prayer.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not going to wait on the government to fix our community. And I’m not going to give up and just wait for His return. I do long for His glorious return, but until He comes, I want to be found praying and serving and loving. Yes, I am busy, too. But I don’t want that to be my testimony.
And as long as Jesus reigns on His throne, there is hope. Yes, even here.
So what about you? Will you join me in starting a prayer ministry in your community? If you live here in Marlboro County, I encourage you to share this post with #missionmarlboro. Let’s see how many people we can get to agree to prayer-walk or prayer-drive our community on a weekly basis.
And if you live in another county, start your own #mission_____________.
If just Paul and Silas could be accused of turning the world upside down…