For years I’ve heard, thought about and tried to live out God’s kingdom values. A while back I heard a story that gave me a new way to conceptualize life in the kingdom:
A pastor visited a refugee camp. The camp was flooded and there wasn’t access to clean drinking water. In the face of human suffering the pastor asked this question: In the kingdom of God would people be living like this? The answer is an obvious no. This realization moved the pastor into action. The refugee camp was eventually drained and clean drinking water was brought in.
This story has given me a tool to conceptualize God’s kingdom coming to earth: In the kingdom of God what would ______ look like? This question helps me move past human suffering into vision and action for the kingdom here and now.
As I’ve practiced this prayer walking through West Central Spokane I’ve often prayed for productive use for vacant lots and buildings. Recently there has been answer to one of these prayers.
A few blocks from my house on Chestnut and Dean there’s an old brick building. Up until a few months ago all the windows were boarded up and the building was vacant with a vacant lot next to it. In the kingdom of God this building wouldn’t be vacant and the lot wouldn’t be full of weeds, so I would pray that it would be used, for business to go in there. While at the beginning of September Batch Bake opened their store front in that building and turned the lot into a patio/parking lot for customers.
In many ways this is a visual for me of how our prayers can really change things.
As I prepare to go on The World Race one of the things I’m excited about is to experience God’s kingdom around the world. As I travel I will get to: join with people doing God’s kingdom work, teach people about the kingdom and help bring the kingdom to earth. I’m on a journey to experience and pray for the kingdom to come in the world, specifically in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Swaziland, Lesotho, South Africa, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico, and the US.
Will you join me in prayer?
Challenge:
- Pick a country
- Pray for the people there
- Pray God’s Kingdom to come
- Pray for my time in that country
Here’s a map of all the countries I’ll be visiting:
Thanks for all your prayers!
My God’s kingdom come and will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
