My heart feels extra heavy today. There is so much need, so much darkness, and so much division in our world. As I hear the news, read different posts, and see videos and pictures of things that are happening all around the globe, my heart breaks. I told myself that this morning I would focus on fighting on my knees, but I feel I cannot even find the words. All I can get out are tears. As the tears roll down my cheeks, I ask the Holy Spirit to intercede for me.
When I was in college, I took a class called Global Cultural Intelligence. This class was KEY in opening my eyes to see the world through Jesus’ lens. You see, I grew up in a very small town with very little diversity where people mainly focused on what was going on in their own world or the world of their neighbors (you know–in small towns everyone knows everyone else’s business). Being global minded wasn’t even something that I had heard of.
Since moving to the Dominican, I have had a serious perspective shift. Through many conversations with my people here in the DR and my students from different countries all over, I have felt convicted that I am sometimes ignorant of what is going on in the world. One thing I have come to realize is that our world is God’s world–and to be aware of things going on in the world shows us how we can better and more specifically be praying and interceding.
I feel like the Lord has put the word, “urgency” on my heart.
-Urgency for the time we are living in
-Urgency for people who do not know Christ
-Urgency to share His hope to the brokenness in our world
-Urgency to be His hands and feet and share the Gospel unhindered
-Urgency to fight in prayer
I will be 100% honest with you…during my prayer time I typically pray for those in my circle. But that isn’t who I want to be. I want to be a prayer warrior for my people and the people I haven’t even met yet. I want to be the kind of person who doesn’t just read the news or hear of current events and flip a switch back to whatever I was doing because it isn’t directly happening to me.I want to have God’s lens for His world and His people. Whatever is on His heart, I want it to be on my heart. Whatever breaks His heart, I want it to break my heart.
So in my prayer time today I did not just focus on lifting up those who are being threatened, persecuted, or facing trials right now.
I prayed also for us–the Church–that we would be an extension of Christ to our hurting world.
I prayed that Jesus would tear down walls of division even among the body of Christ so that we can stand united to make Jesus’ presence known and His love felt to a world that is desperate for hope and redemption.
I prayed for urgency so that we may know that the Lord is coming and there are so many that haven’t been told the Good News yet.
May the Lord plant urgency on all of our hearts. To be global minded, to be people who pursue unity and peace tearing down walls of division, to be people who fight on our knees, and to be His hand and feet.
Journey to Dominican 