(Below is a large portion of a Cru talk I gave recently at the University of Minnesota).
Right now, the world around us is a little chaotic. Global pandemic, national, state and local election, and whatever we have going on in our own lives with family, friends and work obligations. I want to help us collectively lift our eyes to reflect on the sovereignty of God, the kingship of Jesus, and the hope we have because of who God is. When we read about the life of Jesus, we see that Jesus mentions the kingdom of God or the kingdom of heaven more than any other topic. The concept of the kingdom of God is present really throughout the entirety of scripture, and especially in the gospels. What is the kingdom of God?
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Today is Cru's Fall Day of Prayer, where all our staff around the world step away from our tasks and to-do's to acknowledge, praise and worship the God we serve while praying for the needs of our ministry, community, nation and world. This fall our theme is Renew, based off a passage in Isaiah 43. I'll share the passage at the end of this post, but as I sit at my desk with my morning oatmeal and coffee, I am reminded of a few truths around renewal.
In John 15, we are reminded to abide in Christ and remain in him. By doing so we bear fruit and experience fullness of joy. The actual word "renew" isn't in this passage but I see a connection here. My job is to abide. The fruit will come. As I abide, I will also be renewed. I can't force renewal in my life. I can cultivate it, but not manufacture it. Spa days and time off and naps on the couch are wonderful - but these things do not provide true renewal for our souls like Christ does when we abide in him. Growing up Lutheran, most Sundays we would sing liturgy from Psalm 51, "Create in me a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within me." This Psalm was written by David after he commits adultery with Bathsheba. He is seeking restoration, deliverance, to be made clean and right in God's eyes again. He asks for mercy not based on the good that he has done but on the Lord's steadfast love. Are you dealing with guilt over something you've done or not done? God desires to renew your heart. Go to him just as you are; you don't need to "clean yourself up" for him. Throughout the Old Testament we see a continual renewal of the covenant God makes with his people. Over and over again we see the Israelites make promises to God and then they break those very same promises. There are consequences to these actions, yes- but God continues to pursue them. You may feel like renewal or restoration may never come in your life. But it is possible. God wouldn't call us to be renewed if it wasn't. In Romans 12:2 Paul encourages believers to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and again in 2 Corinthians 4:16 he reminds us although physically we are dying, inwardly, our spirits are being renewed. Isaiah 43:18-21 (nlt) provides us our "renew" theme for today. 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. 20 The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, 21 the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise. To be honest, 2020 has a little bit of a "wasteland" feel, especially as I think about the rest of the year with the upcoming election. May God show us the streams in the midst of the wastelands of our lives. May we proclaim his praise louder than any other passionate plea we might be tempted to make. As with many things in the Christian life, we can make them more difficult than they need to be. Included in that list of things would be prayer walking! In its most simple form, prayer walking is just that: praying while walking. There are some great benefits:
1. I stay more focused. My mind seems to wander less when I'm up and moving around vs sitting with my eyes closed. Yes, there are distractions in the outside world, but I choose to engage in them and pray for them or thank God for them. It is easier for me to turn external distractions into prayers than internal distractions - but that can be done as well. 2. I think more creatively. Whether I'm on a campus, walking around my neighborhood, or in a shopping mall, God seems to spark my mind to pray for things I wouldn't normally think of. I notice things around me that I otherwise would not- a student group on campus I've never heard of, a family that lives down the street from me who I've never seen before, or a weary mom pushing her kids in a stroller. 3. I worship God. Most often I prayer walk in nature, and there's something about being away from people and technology and the busyness of life that allows me to calm down and worship God. I think about his character and how that is reflected in the way he created the world. I am reminded the world does not revolve around me, and, in a healthy way, I see how small I am in the bigger picture of life. Cru is partnering with several other campus ministries to prayer walk every single campus in the United States...all 4,948 of them! Check out the list here to see if there are any near campuses near you that have not been prayed for during this campaign. Below are a few ideas of things to pray for on a campus prayer walk. This is a very short list, but will hopefully get you started as you lift up middle/high school and college students, faculty and campuses!
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Amy WellnerEncouraging others to intentionally live out their God-given identity. Archives
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