Praying for the World

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. 
Matthew 28: 18-20

This week over prayer week we have been trying something a little bit different in our morning prayer and worship sessions by praying directionally – for the North, South, East and West.

Why have we been doing this?

Because God is a missional God. He is always on a mission to reach out to those beyond our boundaries with a message of His love and hope.

Right throughout the Bible we see God’s mission in action. It starts in Genesis 12: 3, where God speaks to Abraham of His intention to bless all peoples throughout the world.

“…I will bless those who bless you,
    and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
    will be blessed through you.”

This theme of God’s mission continues right throughout the Bible. The books of Isaiah, Jonah and Joel, amongst others, all speak of God’s desire to reach out to all of humanity, Jew and Gentile alike. This also extends into the New Testament, through the story of the church, where Jesus commands His disciples to bring the Gospel to the many different cultures of the world. 

However, the challenge for many of us within the church is that we often have a natural tendency to look inward rather than outward. I suspect one reason for this is that it is easier for us to fix our eyes on things closer to home, than it is to fix our sights on the needs of the people outside our sphere.

However, as most of us know, it is when we reach out beyond ourselves, this is where we encounter the grace and the power of God.