Among the many strange and curious practices of these COVID-19 days is the myriad of people walking through my neighborhood, maybe yours too. I've seen people I've never seen before, and I've seen some people I do know do things I've never seen them do before.
In my neighborhood a few days ago, I saw a husband and wife on an evening stroll which would not be unusual except for the fact that I’ve never seen the two of them walk together anywhere in our neighborhood, and I have never seen either of them walk farther than the mailbox at the end of their driveway.
Maybe you’ve taken up the spend time in nature vibe by walking the streets near your home. Good for you, and keep it up when the imperial forces allow us to regain our former way of life (sarcasm detected). In addition to stretching your legs and easing boredom, there is a way to make good use of your six-feet-separation parade down Main Street. Pray.
Why You Live Where You Live
Christians believe God has us where he has us to serve him for the time he has us there. You live in your residence at this time in human history for a divine reason. A significant part of your presence in your neighborhood is for gospel influence. You are not likely to have occasion to give the gospel to every house you pass on your morning run or after dinner calorie burn, but you can pray for the occupants of every house you pass whether you know them or not. As you walk, pray,
O Lord, would you save the people who live in that house? I don’t know them, but you do. Would you bring the gospel to them? Would you open their minds to understand and believe the good news about Jesus? Lord, if that is a house where believers live, would you bless them?
Then pray again for the next house you pass. By the end of your walk, you will have prayed for dozens, if not hundreds of people who live near you.
Why Your Church Exists Where It Exists
Somewhere in the past a group of people gathered to form your church. They settled on a location they thought would best serve the community. Maybe they acquired or built a building. The point is the church and the church building have a geographic setting for a reason. God put us where we are to impact the community where we live and worship.
I’ve never experienced a runner’s high, but I do like to eat…a lot. So, I run. When I run the neighborhoods around my home or in the communities near our church building, I pray for the whole neighborhood. If there are church families in the neighborhood, I pray for their influence. If there are no families from our church in the neighborhood, I ask God to bring people to our church from the neighborhood. Maybe there is a recently relocated Christian family who needs a church. Maybe there is a household that is trying to find a more biblically faithful pulpit. While there may not be any believing families in that particular neighborhood in our church, there may be believing families in that neighborhood. I pray for their godly influence with their neighbors.
Most of us have considered how to make the best use of the reality of our coronavirus situation. I think praying for the salvation of people in your neighborhood and for the strengthening of your church in your community is a great use of your time. So put one foot in front of the other and pray as you go.
As always I welcome your feedback and any suggestions you might have for an upcoming Lunchtime Musing.
Mike VerWay
Pastor for Preaching & Vision