What to pray for those friends in dangerous and difficult places.

What do we mean when we say "LORD BLESS them"?

When Gods' mission calls Abraham to be blessed and be a blessing in his mission plan for the world, we learn a lot about what living a blessed life means. Remeber this is in the context of human schemes of self destruction and desolation (Gen 3-11) . There are multiple blessing texts which flow out of the 3 initial blessings in creation : 

·        Day 5 He blessed the creatures of the sea and air

·        Day 6 He blessed human beings

·        Day 7 He blessed the Sabbath.

The first two are followed by the command to multiply and fill the earth (1:22, 28), 

The last blessing is instruction to be blessed in the rest /perfect content/ contentment of GOD (2:3) (who He is, and what He has done for us).

Throughout Genesis ("brk" - the Hebrew root word for blessing/ to bless) occurs 88 times, each time giving us an understanding of how wide God's ordinance and covenant of blessing is through his people of faith and obedience.

1) Obedience and active faith is top of the list of what to pray for our friends in difficult, lonely and dangerous places as they serve and share Christ. None of us will be a blessing in introspection or  a self serving drive for comfort or self protection. As we pray God driven bravery for others, we need to be aware of the integrity / transparency of our hearts and that we are an open book before God. (1 Sam16:7). Can we pray this for others in good conscience  (that they will remain active in faith and obedience amidst danger and risk) when we (especially us Westerners) could be holding on tight to a lifelong routine of non risk, safety buffer, bible belt confinement in a bid to guarantee at least our short term self-made security?

 

God's protection is a feature of the blessing in Leviticus 26:4-13, a rest and contentment in God, without fear (v5) as is contentment in God's victory over enemies still present (7). God's provision and protection is synchronistic with the active contentment in "Going" on God's mission amidst danger. The simple instruction for Abraham to "Go" and "Be a blessing" as you are blessed, stands today for all who follow in faith and obedience.

 Pray for those who serve in danger, for their contentment in GOD. Not that they will be blissfully unaware of danger, or a romantic prayer of escapism to sleep, but that their increased knowledge in the reality of God (obtained through active one step at a time faith), will look danger in the eye and say "GOD is bigger" and that "none shall make them afraid". 

 ^{ROMANS 8:31}

 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Pray that God will increase their vision of His global plan of fruitfulness in Christ, His presence with them and their blessing in Christ which flows to others (and ours too).

ROMANS 8:35-39

As it is written,

“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸ For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹ nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

2) That as they Rest in God, their character will display God through their obedience and faith: The wideness of his mercy (Eph 2:4 Deut 4:31,Titus 3:5, Hosea 14:3), the reach of his arm of love (Isaiah 59:1) and the life of Christ in them (Col 1:27), their team (John 13:35) and their ministry. 

3)  That this may prove (despite appearance) to be a time of great fruitfulness and multiplication in the KINGDOM OF GOD: Multiplication / filling the Earth is a key feature of both creation blessing (Gen 1) and missional blessing (Gen 12, 15, 17). As Abraham becomes the man of multiplied blessing pointing people to Christ, so we become a blessing to the world as we point people to the uncontainable blessing we have received from Christ. (Gen 15:5, 26:4, Ps147:4-6, Eph 1:3). 

Pray for those in danger and difficulty, that their localised act of faith may be a blessing to all nations in his cosmic purposes of global redemption. May the ripples of faith and obedience impact intergenerationally, with intercontextuality, eternally to the praise, honour and glory of Jesus Christ. May their blessing help us be more of a blessing to the world as we follow the path of Christ together in faith, trust and active obedience.