A Kingdom Perspective

One of the most impactful things we can do is pray for others to come to Christ. This might mean focusing on specific individuals whose names God has placed on your heart, or it could involve praying more broadly for God to be known by people throughout your neighborhood, city, and nation.

This is something I pray for often, but intermittently when life gets busy or my mind gets preoccupied with some concerns, those matters tend to take greater precedence in my prayer life and I am less focused on praying for bigger Kingdom purposes. Yesterday, while listening to something, I was reminded of the need and urgency with which we should be praying for God to be known by many.

It is Spring here in Australia, I took my dog for a walk and grabbed that opportunity to focus and pray for a spiritual awakening.

Later, I read something by Glen Scrivener, that I share below which further cemented what God reminded me to pray about.

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells us about the Parable of the Sower. Seeds are scattered everywhere in the hope that the Gospel would be heard, understood and take root. However, in one instance birds come and snatch the seed that fell on the path.
A few verses later in Matthew, Jesus tells the Parable of the Mustard Seed and says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” (13:31-32)
Here are the birds again. The birds that had snatched the message of the Gospel and disrupted its influence are now sitting in the shade of the tree of the kingdom.
How incredible is it that Jesus speaks of these birds as enjoying the shade of the kingdom, even though they had initially been part of its disruption?
For those of us who live in nations founded upon Christian values, this is our reality. Christian or not, we all sit in the branches and enjoy the shade of the Christian influence within our nations. It is a good conversation starter to help us engage with those who might not believe the Gospel, but enjoy its influence.

Friends, stand firm in your faith and persist in prayer, as we are truly in a spiritual battle. Sometimes we get so caught up in the immediate concerns of our lives that we lose sight of the bigger kingdom perspective in our prayers. I know I can tend to do that, but I was reminded to stand alongside all you prayer warriors, praying for our nations, for people near and far, so that God’s name will be known by more and more each day.

God Bless.