Father, I lift up this country to you. Thank you so much for bringing me to this place and giving me a peek behind the veil. You are at work here!! Of course you are. You love this country and these people more than I can imagine. I am grateful for the opportunity to see what you’re doing here and the invitation to be a small part of it. Thank you for including me.
Thank you for relationships that are hard to leave. And then for the reassurance that if you have brought me all the way across the world into this neighborhood so that I would meet these women you are clearly pursuing them! That will not end with me and it didn’t begin with me. You are the beginning and the end. You are chasing after these people, and you brought me along, the chase will not end until they are yours. Thank you for the butterflies that I get when I have the opportunity to share your story with them for the first time. And the knowledge that, that feeling is a fraction of the excitement you get when you reveal yourself to us.
I cast out the spirit of fear that seems to be running rampant in this country, in Jesus’ mighty name. The fear that the local believers fight every time they proclaim your glory. Fear of persecution that is stopping them from being able to openly worship the One True King. The fear that may hinder the long term workers who have to make the hard decisions of when to be bold and trust in You or when to hold their tongues for the sake of remaining in the country and continuing your work. Give them discernment in this. Fear that the nonbelievers have as they are trying to measure up and gain the favor of their god and the people around them. I pray that they would know the freedom that comes in knowing You.
Thank you for the people we met who are truly on fire for you, Lord. They are inspiring and refreshing. I hope that I can inspire that same passion they have given me in the people I meet.
I pray for the leadership of this nation. That you would do a work in his heart. Bring Jesus followers across his path that will plant seeds. Work in the hearts of the people in power who are surrounding and influencing him. Especially in regards to new laws. Continue to make changes here for your good, even when they don’t realize they are furthering your Kingdom. Thank you for the boldness and unity of the women who worked and came together to fight for change. I pray that there would be a woman bold enough to testify under the new law and that it would set a precedent in this country and the muslim community.
Thank you for this melting pot of cultures and the opportunity to experience it. Please continue to surround the tables I sit at with people from every nation and tribe. I am so grateful for that glimpse of what heaven will be like. As these nations come together I pray for protection for the vulnerable. The students who have left their homes and families to better themselves. The refugees “passing through” on the search for a better life. The poor who are taken advantage of for the gain of others. I pray for unity among these different cultures and back grounds; a unity that can only come from serving the same God.
I ask all of these things in your great name. Amen.
Join me in lifting up this beautiful country full of wonderful people. We are getting ready to move on but I think a small piece of my heart will be here for years to come.
