The Cry for the Kingdom
Today, I will begin a short journey; a 40-day journey of praying for our nation as well as for the world. For the first time, I have decided to participate in the NECF’s 40 day fast and pray program. In previous years, I have stepped aside to let others do the praying. I didn’t particularly feel any desire to pray for this country (except for God to bring more people to Christ), being more concerned about ‘saving souls for Heaven’. I shied away from politics, and preferred to remain ignorant about the matters of the country. I guess I am a different person now. God has taught me a lot in the last six months or so. This time, I can say that my concern for the country has increased in leaps and bounds. There is this desire to see God’s Kingdom come on earth, here in Malaysia, where His justice, righteousness and love will reign.
Yesterday’s Bible study on Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2 came at just the right time again. The first time I studied the book with a group of friends was at a time when my walk with God was down in the dumps, and the call for a personal reform came exceedingly clear to me. Now I am studying this book together with the group in CF, and I hear another call. This time, it is a call to cry out for our nation, just as Nehemiah cried out for his. It is a call not only to cry out and pray, but to do something about it. Nehemiah was a man of prayer and action. We have been called to do the same; to be missional Christians.
I have to admit that prayer (especially those of the intercessory kind) is a weakness of mine. I seldom take time off to pray for my family, friends, CF, the country, and the world. I only pray for friends when they ask me too, and sometimes, I forget to pray for them after promising to do so! Most of my prayers are of the ‘friendly conversation with God’ kinds of prayer, where I just talk to God about life, thanking Him for this and that, telling Him what I feel about Him, asking for His help when I have to preach and lead Bible studies. Maybe it’s because I have always felt that if God really wanted to do something (eg. Help someone, heal someone) He would have done it whether I prayed or not. Another reason is that I haven’t been disciplined enough (in other words, just too lazy) to actually take some time off to pray! Maybe it is time I start to talk to God more about the needs of others, and for His Kingdom to come. A book that I saw at MPH One Utama a few days ago caught my eye: Stanley Grenz’s ‘Prayer: The Cry for the Kingdom’ (I’ve heard so much about Stanley Grenz recently, but I’ve never read any of his books yet). I just thought that this book would be a good accompaniment to this program that I am participating in. Maybe God will teach me a few things about intercessory prayer even as I begin on this journey. I’ll drop by over there and get it one of these days.
Yesterday’s Bible study on Nehemiah chapters 1 and 2 came at just the right time again. The first time I studied the book with a group of friends was at a time when my walk with God was down in the dumps, and the call for a personal reform came exceedingly clear to me. Now I am studying this book together with the group in CF, and I hear another call. This time, it is a call to cry out for our nation, just as Nehemiah cried out for his. It is a call not only to cry out and pray, but to do something about it. Nehemiah was a man of prayer and action. We have been called to do the same; to be missional Christians.
I have to admit that prayer (especially those of the intercessory kind) is a weakness of mine. I seldom take time off to pray for my family, friends, CF, the country, and the world. I only pray for friends when they ask me too, and sometimes, I forget to pray for them after promising to do so! Most of my prayers are of the ‘friendly conversation with God’ kinds of prayer, where I just talk to God about life, thanking Him for this and that, telling Him what I feel about Him, asking for His help when I have to preach and lead Bible studies. Maybe it’s because I have always felt that if God really wanted to do something (eg. Help someone, heal someone) He would have done it whether I prayed or not. Another reason is that I haven’t been disciplined enough (in other words, just too lazy) to actually take some time off to pray! Maybe it is time I start to talk to God more about the needs of others, and for His Kingdom to come. A book that I saw at MPH One Utama a few days ago caught my eye: Stanley Grenz’s ‘Prayer: The Cry for the Kingdom’ (I’ve heard so much about Stanley Grenz recently, but I’ve never read any of his books yet). I just thought that this book would be a good accompaniment to this program that I am participating in. Maybe God will teach me a few things about intercessory prayer even as I begin on this journey. I’ll drop by over there and get it one of these days.
posted by sojourner @ Friday, July 22, 2005
1 comments
1 Comments:
"I have to admit that prayer (especially those of the intercessory kind) is a weakness of mine"
mine too! tell me if there's any good books on that, ah yea, Stanley Grenz’s prayer book that you recommend to me the other day, i think i'd get one too!
keep blogging, been really encouraged by your msg/posting!
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