20 When the trumpets sounded, the army shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the men gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so everyone charged straight in, and they took the city.
John 20:19
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
Acts 16:25-26
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.
In our lives we are often protected, kept out, or kept in by walls. We often rely on walls and other barriers to separate us from those things that we fear. Our world is filled with barriers that we have built or that others have built. Some of these barriers are physical barriers and others are figurative.
What do we do when the walls and fences that surround us begin to feel like they are no longer giving us support or protection, but rather preventing us from experiencing the gifts of God that are also surrounding us? That is the question that some of the leaders of Spearfish United Methodist Church have been grappling with. In the scriptures, we read of God breaking through those kinds of barriers in many different ways, so we are providing an opportunity for us all to engage God in prayer for that kind of breakthrough.
We find in Micah 6:8 a reminder of how humanity is called to engage each other and live in the world. As a church we will be praying for God to break through our fears, distrust, and hardened hearts so that each of us, our whole church, and the world we encounter can experience the justice, mercy, and humble faithfulness that Micah 6:8 encourages.
It will be our challenge to pray for ourselves, each other, and the Church each day at 6:08 (because Micah 6:8). With this plan we will know that 2 times a day several people will be praying together at 6:08am and 6:08pm. There is a provided prayer that we will use, yet we invite you to add your own prayers as well. Invite God into your heart. Allow Him to be with you in this time and space, as we are linked together through prayer every day. Experience the breakthrough and the power that God has to move us and the world.
The Prayer:
God of peace with justice, we long for your love and power to break through in our lives and in this broken world. Where there are walls of hate and demonization of the ‘other’, break through. Where there are barriers of fear that keep us from trusting one another, and road blocks of past trauma and shame that divide us, break through. Where we put up flimsy blinders of indifference, break through. We long to be instruments of your peace, so break through selfishness that each of us may live your justice. Break through hardened hearts that each of us may celebrate and offer freely your mercy. Break through human pride and renew our relationship with you, so that each of us may walk humbly with you. AMEN
