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It’s a Monday evening. I’m sitting around a table with four others. A pile of cards lays in the middle of the table.
But they’re not playing cards, and I’m not at a card table in a casino, gambling on the outcome of the dealer’s hand.
Each card before us bears a name. They’re people I do not know. We are praying that each one of them comes to know God’s love and truth through an encounter with Jesus. We are praying for their salvation. We are praying that their Christian friends have the courage to share their testimony and invite them to discover Jesus for themselves.
I feel a weight of responsibility. If I believe in prayer as much as I say that I do, then this is time well spent.
And I ask myself, why am I not praying for those I do know and love?
When I first heard about the Thy Kingdom Come prayer movement several years ago, I was a little cynical. It seemed light-weight and overly simple. Just ten days, and only five people. But then I attempted it: over the course of ten days, pray for five people I know to meet Jesus – it seemed simple enough until I tried it. I struggled probably because praying for people to come to faith is not a discipline I exercise enough.
Between 18-28 May, churches from over 80 different denominations and traditions in over 170 countries around the world intercede for individuals. That’s huge!
Praying is the antithesis of sitting at the gambling table and hoping for a favourable outcome. It’s an intentional and purposeful act of participation. In praying “thy kingdom come” we commit to playing our part in the renewal of the nations and the transformation of communities – one life at a time.
The consequences are cosmic: God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done on earth in the lives of those we know and love.
Praying for individuals to come to faith is one way of intentionally playing our part in God’s mission. It’s a better strategy than hands-off hoping-for-the-best at a card table.
Let us pray…
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
We have invited these writers to share their experiences, ideas and opinions in the hope that these will provoke thought, challenge you to go deeper and inspire you to put your faith into action. These articles should not be taken as the official view of the Nelson Diocese on any particular matter.
It’s a Monday evening. I’m sitting around a table with four others. A pile of cards lays in the middle of the table.
But they’re not playing cards, and I’m not at a card table in a casino, gambling on the outcome of the dealer’s hand.
Each card before us bears a name. They’re people I do not know. We are praying that each one of them comes to know God’s love and truth through an encounter with Jesus. We are praying for their salvation. We are praying that their Christian friends have the courage to share their testimony and invite them to discover Jesus for themselves.
I feel a weight of responsibility. If I believe in prayer as much as I say that I do, then this is time well spent.
And I ask myself, why am I not praying for those I do know and love?
When I first heard about the Thy Kingdom Come prayer movement several years ago, I was a little cynical. It seemed light-weight and overly simple. Just ten days, and only five people. But then I attempted it: over the course of ten days, pray for five people I know to meet Jesus – it seemed simple enough until I tried it. I struggled probably because praying for people to come to faith is not a discipline I exercise enough.
Between 18-28 May, churches from over 80 different denominations and traditions in over 170 countries around the world intercede for individuals. That’s huge!
Praying is the antithesis of sitting at the gambling table and hoping for a favourable outcome. It’s an intentional and purposeful act of participation. In praying “thy kingdom come” we commit to playing our part in the renewal of the nations and the transformation of communities – one life at a time.
The consequences are cosmic: God’s kingdom to come and God’s will to be done on earth in the lives of those we know and love.
Praying for individuals to come to faith is one way of intentionally playing our part in God’s mission. It’s a better strategy than hands-off hoping-for-the-best at a card table.
Let us pray…
Check out other articles in the
series below.
More articles in the
series are to come.
