GlocalNet

One of the most critical things you can do to prepare for an event like the http://www.globalfaithforum.org is to pray.  As a young person, I once heard someone from my tribe say “God does not hear the prayer of a Jew.”  I don’t believe that.  I believe God hears all our prayers.  The only prayer God doesn’t hear according to the Psalms is the man who prays but is not obeying God.  I can’t tell you what makes God answer one prayer and not another - I believe it’s like someone once told me, “he always answers and his answers are:  yes, no, later.”  I believe as long as a human being is alive - God hears prayers and is drawing people to himself.  Sometimes, the harder challenge - is hearing God.  He will do things to draw us to him, and if we don’t hear him, we don’t recognize what he is doing.  So this is a special plea to those that are coming and all those intercessors that are lifting us up across the country.  I can only write on prayer as a Jesus follower because prayer is the deepest form of communion that I know with God and that is for me found in Jesus. 

First, pray for God to open your heart to receive others and listen.  One of the biggest challenges is that of prejudice and stereotyping people.  God may want to use you to build a relationship to someone from a background you’ve never known before.  I’ve come to realize people often want to share their religious views, but not their life.  That isn’t how Jesus did it.  He shared his views, but he did life with people and shared it along the way.  Like it or not, people’s perception of what they believe about your faith - is tied up in how they see you.  If they see you as loving, open, and caring - they are more open to what you believe.  If they see you as hateful, mean spirited, arrogant - that’s how they will view your faith. 

Second, pray for God to continue to reveal himself to you through others.  I once wrote a blog “NorthWood Church: Made in Vietnam.”  I’m not an animist, Buddhist or Atheist - the top 3 religions of Vietnam - I’m a Christian - a Christ follower.  But in becoming friends with Vietnamese who fit those 3 categories, it made me think of my faith deeper, and in some ways differently - that has profoundly impacted me, my family, and my church.  Vietnam taught me to understand the world and how God wants the church to serve - not according to our agenda, but His.  It moved me from religious professional work to disciple society engagement.  All that means is from preachers spreading religion, to followers living our their faith serving others and sharing Good News. 

Third, pray for peace.  Though I theologically differ with other faiths - God wants peace and he wants us to be instruments of that peace.  As a Jesus follower that was the message and life of Jesus.  That’s why they called him the Prince of Peace. YES!  That means peace in our heart, but it also means peace in our community.  It breaks my heart sometimes what other people feel from people of my faith - the hate, the prejuidice - I don’t want that.  When we look at the world today, and even in our own country - the tension between faiths and what that drives people to - it doesn’t honor God. 

Fourth, pray for the conference all the speakers, logistics, etc. As a Christian I pray against anything Satan would want to do to disrupt, divide, destroy people trying to come together.  Satan’s primary method is to divide and destroy. 

Finally, pray for God to be glorified.  As a Christian, that means for you to get a clearer picture of who Jesus is by how you see him in me and those of us who call ourselves followers of Jesus.  It means that activities and behaviors are in line with God’s character of justice and mercy.