[DAY 1] God of the Impossible

[NOTE FROM JESSICA: Go here for the archive of emails from the 9-Day Prayer Challenge: June 25-July 3, 2018].

Will you join me in prayer for the children and families separated at our southern border? Please feel free to extend an invitation to those you know to join us in prayer. It’s never too late to join. Read below for the first reflection of this 9-Day Prayer Challenge.

Yesterday, our church celebrated the birth of John the baptist. In the Gospel reading, we recalled the circumstances of his birth and how, like many women in the Bible, his mother Elizabeth gave birth to a baby in impossible circumstances. How new life came about when barrenness should have prevented it. 

And I couldn’t help but think of where we are today, as I see the news about families at our southern border, of over 2,000 children still waiting to be reunited with their families. How it all seems so impossible, for not one child to fall through the cracks, for these children to not carry the burden of mental and emotional trauma for the rest of their lives. It is all too much.

And yet, throughout Scripture we are reminded that the God that we worship is a God of the impossible. Who, in the beginning, hovered over the waters, brought order to chaos and brought forth light. Who, as a pillar of fire by night, led the Israelites out of Egypt. Who, through an impossible birth, became human and became a Light to the Nations. Who even now, as each child waits to be reunited with their families, ministers to them and is asking us to be the Light that these children need to be made whole.

Let us pray, on this first day of our 9-Day Prayer Challenge:

  • May our eyes be opened to the Light that is Christ himself, so that we in turn may be Light to those around us, especially to those children who wait. 
  • May each little girl and boy experience God’s supernatural grace and hope during their time of need. May they experience the healing Light of Christ, even in these moments of great distress and emotional trauma.
  • May the ears and hearts of those in positions of power be opened to the cries of those who flee unimaginable circumstances, who seek to create a better life for their families.