praying for missions {week 4}


From Romans 15:
30 I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf, 31 that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints, 32 so that by God's will I may come to you with joy and be refreshed in your company. 33 May the God of peace be with you all. Amen.
We're returning to this passage from week 1. In the first half of verse 31, Paul asks for prayer that he "may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea." The unbelievers in Judea opposed - sometimes violently - the work of the early church and the spread of the message of Christ. Today, we would call them terrorists.

Terrorism has become as common in Kenya as in the US, or any other part of the world. We (including all of you reading) face this and other forms of evil every day. Generally, we're not fully aware of the potential danger until something happens or almost happens.

We pray Psalm 127:1-2.
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
All the security measures we could possibly take are in vain unless the Lord is watching over us. We pray for his protection and for deliverance from evil.

(The A through F method of praying for missionaries is taught in Disciple's Prayer Life: Walking in Fellowship with God, by T.W. Hunt and Catherine Walker.)