Community Prayer- November

This month's theme for Community Prayer was focused on praying for the persecuted church during service times.  In the four weeks of November we heard about and prayed for the churches in Cuba, Yemen, Nigeria and North Korea. It's difficult to understand what life is like for the follower of Jesus in these countries where violence is a common response to their very existence. Resources like "persecution survival training" and "trauma care" are supplied to those claiming Christ who have faced severe opposition for their faith. Prayer offers us the space to participate in what God is doing in building His kingdom in those places. We are given a place to exercise the hope we claim to possess, one that acknowledges the suffering we have today and the glory we will one day see as well. Through it we experience a practical picture of the unity provided through the cross of Christ. "So if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it." (1 Cor 12:26,27) We were so grateful to get to pray as members of the same body, coming before the same God, asking Him to build His kingdom in the middle of great suffering. It is an honor to call them brothers and sisters. Let's continue to remember them in our prayers and to anticipate with joy that one day we will be together to celebrate and worship the One who has wiped away our every tear. "Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples,and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away." (Rev. 21:3,4)