Display Your Power

Read: Psalm 87
““I shall mention Rahab and Babylon among those who know Me; behold, Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia: ‘This one was born there.’” Psalm 87:4

Examine:
God’s purpose is to reconcile people to Himself, and these statements anticipate that five nations—Rahab … Babylon … Philistia… Phoenicia (represented by Tyre) and Cush (present-day southern Egypt, Sudan, and northern Ethiopia)—will be among the peoples who acknowledge Him. “Rahab,” representing Egypt, was probably the name of a powerful demonic force thought to be behind that nation.

Apply:
God is gracious and He has a heart for those who do not know Him. He loves His enemies and pursues them. He never gives up and He expects no less from me. The call of God on my life, and the lives of all believers, will always be centered on seeing people outside of God become people who are sons and daughters of Almighty God.

Pray:
Father, for much of my life I have battled between living for my ambitions and serving my role in Your mission. The daily grind of life and all of its distractions have often made it difficult to stay focused on You and Your purposes. I sit here this morning 10,000 miles from my normal life and now all I have is Your mission.

In the weeks to come I will stand before people and all I have to offer them is the promise of Christ to reconcile things to Himself. I say all because the situation here is so dire that there is absolutely nothing humanly possible that can be done apart from You. My only hope is the power of Christ taking the few small provisions I have and multiplying them. The darkness and death of this place is impossible to put into words. The weight I feel is overwhelming as I think of the tens of thousands of kids in this country who are living alone in conditions full of poverty, hunger, abuse, and rape. But this much I know, whatever You call a person to, You always empower them to accomplish.

Therefore, I will not be counted among those who shrink back. I ask that You prove to the world around me Your pleasure through me. I ask that You anoint me to carry the Power of Christ into the teeth of the hell and death that is here. The power of Satan is well known here and his works are evident. I beg that You unite Your saints here in a way that will show once and for all that our God’s ability to set things right is far greater than the enemy’s power to destroy the world. Make me be today what I cannot be on my own. Shine Your light in me, my wife and my kids. Help us to reflect You and Your great name. Let Your power, Your will and Your purpose come like rushing waters and mighty winds. Anoint even my children to proclaim Your great love. This place is not lost and forgotten. It is close to Your heart and ripe for a miracle. I pray that our work here see that miracle come.