“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sowing peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” – James 3:17-18
Last Sunday at church, Jon Tyson of Church of the City New York came and spoke to the Franklin congregation. He spoke a powerful message on a topic that has left me feeling exasperated and wrestling with whether my words are being heard. Prayer His three main points drove home in a way that I needed so badly in this season and so I wanted to take a minute to share them with you.
Especially in light of the incident that happened yesterday where a father of six was shot in the back 7 times. Miraculously God saved this man’s life, but I can’t help but be more frustrated that this cycle seems to keep happening. Hear my words. There is NO REASON, no matter what someone has done, what drugs they may or may not have been on, to shoot a man in the back seven times and NO Excuse for that to happen in front of his children. Four cops, one man and 3 innocent children and he was shot in the back seven times.
I don’t care what your political beliefs are, human decency is a thing and it better be your thing! It’s in these moments that I want to fall to my needs and pray out in agony for our nation, for our world, for the lost, but at the same time, I’m so frustrated because are our prayers being heard or are we just not praying hard enough? Are we really, truly trying to intervene and intercede for the time we’re living in?
Back to Sunday’s sermon. Jon Tyson shared three points that I truly believe are so relevant for us.
- Intervention requires Intensity. Does the agony of our soul match the agony of your surroundings?
- In order for intervention to happen, you must pray earnestly or intensely.
- For intervention to happen prayer has to be persistent.
- Passivity or prayer stops us from pushing into prayer until change happens.
- Look at Joshua and the walls of Jericho.
- Abraham and the burning bush
- The disciples gather to fervently pray in community when Peter was arrested and put in jail. An Angel came to Peter and walked him right out of prison and out of the gates of the city.
- Elijah – He prayed for rain with intensity. Not once, but SEVEN times!
- For intervention to happen, prayer has to be united.
- We are all guilty of praying covid panic prayers
God’s best is to break in and bring a spiritual awakening into our lives. This moment is our invitation to unite in our intensity to pray. To intercede for those around us, for the lost, oppressed, those in leadership, those who have lost their jobs, who are now looking at doing distance learning with their kids again, for all our children who are trying to understand why they can’t go back to school, for HEALING, complete and total healing of COVID. I believe He can do it, He wants to do it, let’s keep asking him.
If you want to watch Jon Tyson’s message from Church of the City Franklin, TN, you can view it HERE.
Friends, I hope, like me, you’re feeling a strong conviction right now towards prayer. Prayer that only comes from understanding the agony around us and praying intensely into it. Be blessed today!
xo, Alissa
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