National Day of Prayer

This week on May 7, it will be the National Day of Prayer. This year, the theme is Glorify God Among the Nations. Throughout scripture, God reminds His people that He has a redemptive plan for the nations. God blessed Abraham and promised that a descendant would come who would bless all the nations of the earth. This was fulfilled in Jesus, and now the Church lives within that mission as it shares the Gospel with the world.

Our College and Young Adult group has been studying the book of Romans all semester. It has been an amazing study of God’s grace and about who we are to be as a people shaped by our relationship with Christ. As Paul draws his letter to the Romans to a close, he calls this beloved group into a time of prayer for him and his ministry of sharing the Gospel with those who have not heard the name of Jesus. His instruction can guide us as we approach this day of praying for God’s glory among the nations.

In Romans 15:30, Paul urges the Romans to join his struggle by praying for him. We may not be called as a missionary to another nation, but we can join their struggle as their brothers and sisters by interceding for them in prayer. In verse 31, Paul specifically asks the Romans to pray for his safety as he goes to a people that may be hostile to the Gospel. Let us not stop praying for the safety of missionaries and for the hearts of those with whom they share Christ. Pray that they find people of peace who will welcome them into their communities.

Paul finishes by asking them to pray that he may joyfully join them in person and be refreshed by their company. Pray that the Church around the world will be a unified people that is refreshing to one another as we are on mission for Christ. Go into this special time of prayer, seeking the Lord’s provision for missionaries around the world and for our community of faith here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, as we encounter the nations right here at home.