C-19 Reflection #7: Working with What We’ve Got - Prayers of Love
C19 Daily Reflection #7
Theme: “Working with what We’ve Got”
Topic: Prayers of Love
Scripture: Jeremiah 29:4-11 (*also for context Jeremiah 28:10-17)
4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Reflection:
Today I want to encourage us to continue to pray to the Lord for all the many aspects of our present situation. (*Please see the list of suggested topics below to guide you in prayer.)
It seems that God’s people are always being invited to pray for the cultures, places and situations in which they find themselves. In this invitation to pray we find our true calling as God’s people in the world.
This passage in Jeremiah presents us with a pivotal instance of this call to pray for our present contexts. One reason for praying seems to be that because God’s people are so invested in their new city that their own well being and thriving is deeply connected to the overall well being of the city (v.7) At first glance, this motivation might seems uncomfortably transactional – we pray for others because when we do we are really praying for ourselves?
The strong temptation these days is to attempt to understand everything that is going on, the roots as well as the results. What the passage today seems to model is that in times of completely new experience, when we find ourselves in strange terrain for the first time (*we have never been here before!), that God’s ways in these new situations are what cry out to us for a deeper exploration.
In the strange new world of Babylon, God does what seems to be a counter- intuitive work in the lives of his people. He calls them to integrate and involve themselves in their new culture and to seek its welfare because they are going to be there for quite awhile. As we see, this strategy of stay long and go deep was not the conventional wisdom of many of the spiritual experts in Israel and they prophesied their opinions on what they thought was really going on. Yet going back early was not what God was doing and it takes a special revelation to the prophet Jeremiah for this to be clarified, radical as it was.
When we are confronted with controversial circumstances like today’s pandemic, as much as it is important and crucial to be engaged and discerning, let’s not lose the opportunity to gain an expanded understanding and fresh reminder of who God is. As we step back and begin to pursue God as the most passionate source and goal of our reflection, one thing that we are reminded of through the salvation history of Israel and the church is that God loves the stranger and the foreigner. God loves the city to which he calls us. God invites us to love our neighbor because God loves the world. We see this wonderful, life changing instinct of God’s heart over and over and especially and ultimately in Jesus. We can see this anticipated in Jeremiah’s time if you look and pray deeply.
So let your motivation as you pray be love, the love of God being poured out for a broken creation and our love for the people of our city and the world in crisis, a reality in which we are deeply rooted ourselves.
Below is a quick list of things to bring before God in prayer:
Wisdom, communication and unity of spirit for national and civic leaders
Comfort for those grieving lost loved ones
Endurance, compassion and protection for health-care workers
Insight and knowledge for scientists and researchers exploring medical treatments and vaccines; for a cure
For healing for those sick with COVID-19; for all the elderly and those at risk
For more applicable medical supplies
For the comfort and peace of Christ to be known widely
For children and wives in abusive or unstable homes during times of isolation; for all those isolated and alone.
For women who are pregnant, their babies, their families.
For those separated and isolated because of this situation; for the loved ones who are heartbroken and feeling guilty
Students and teachers who semesters have been radically changed and now are teaching and learning in new ways
For neighbours to build deeper relationships, for neighborhoods to strengthened, for communities to be enlivened/enriched
For those who are far away from home, family and community for any reason
For those compromised and stressed due to the lack of resources of community support, food, money, services
For those experiencing loss of work and income
For business owners and business leaders
For opportunities to live and share the good news of Jesus Christ and for openness to the gospel; a strong hope and unshakeable and increasing faith for the church across the globe;
For a widened imagination to see new ministry possibilities and for new ways of living, sharing, serving; for the church to shine with the light of Christ in this dark time
For increased generosity during a time of great need
For people on intentional mission around the world
That we will be a changed and renewed people at every level as we move past the worst of this pandemic crisis
