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There is so much going on in the world right now, we need to stop and pray. I’m not sure what that looks like for you. Maybe a day of prayer. Maybe a fast. Maybe jump starting a habit of making prayer a daily habit like brushing your teeth. You do brush your teeth daily, I hope.
On our Realm Makers Consortium, a member posted that we needed a day of prayer, so thus it was coordinated. Last Sunday was the day, and for me, the perfect day. So much was going on in the world around me. We have friends and family in both Florida and Texas, so a lot of prayers for safety and protection of home and property as well as recovery. Kristen Stieffel did an excellent post about how neither Harvey nor Irma are God’s fault. It’s a fallen and broken world. Rain (even accompanied by winds and tornadoes) falls on the just and unjust (Matthew 5:45).
But what wasn’t making the headlines were the fires in Washington, Oregon, Montana, and other places in the western U.S. and Canada. Also, southern Mexico was hit with a deadly earthquake. These places needed our prayers too!
That was just the natural disasters. There were the physical, mental, and emotional health of those around me. We’re in a hurting and fallen world. The call for a day of prayer for Realm Makers had to do more with inner turmoil and even spiritual attacks that seemed to be running through our group. On top of that, there are among any group of people, hurting relationships, health concerns, death, job loss, stress, physical strains, financial strains, and any number of factors that pull us from God and His purpose for us.
On a global level, there’s poverty and crime. We attended a missionary event for a family serving in southeast Asia. They’re ministering to children in the poorest area of a large city. These children are at risk for a life of dealing drugs or being victims of human trafficking and the sex trade. My heart aches for families eking out an existence on selling handicrafts or flowers, and young people lured into dangerous situations with the promise of wealth. This is life for far too many people in the world.
So I spent a good part of the day in prayer. With one of those prayers being that God places on my heart a deeper desire to make days of prayer and even fasting (didn’t happen because the church picnic was on the calendar first) a regular part of my life.
The New Authors Fellowship 