By Holly
We have talked a lot about the importance of engaging our cities, neighborhoods and friends 
by living out the mission of the church in every day life. When God first opened my eyes to his Kingdom, and the immense amount of physical, relational and spiritual needs around me, I became overwhelmed. I am not one who likes to sit back and watch something happen; I want to make change and be a part of these amazing opportunities to love others well. For about two years now, I have struggled with the many passages in Scripture about meeting the needs of the poor and condemnation of the rich. I was constantly frustrated with myself as my wealth weighed heavily on my heart. I kept asking God, how do I live a life that is pleasing to you in my context of wealth, consumerism and materialism? Where do I start?
So, I started to pray. I would talk to God about my struggle to give in my context. I struggle with inequality and injustice. I began to pray for others, for Whitworth, for the city of Spokane. The prayer group I am a part of encouraged me to be honest with God and that when I completely surrender my life to Him, I will find freedom in my context. Through prayer and an honest community, I am beginning to let my need to control everything go. I cannot control my context and I cannot change the world. God can and He is. As I continue to surrender myself every day to God, I begin to see the light and the hope that dwells within my friends, my church and in the city of Spokane. As I draw closer to God, he leads me to a life of sacrifice and service. You cannot do it on your own, so don’t even try. That kind of life only leads to frustration and heaviness. Pray this prayer daily into your life as you continue on this journey of mission.
“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:10
I agree that so often we try and take action first and think about prayer later. We focus on what we can ‘do’ and then pray for God to bless the situation after. Going first to prayer is such different way of living life. Asking God that his will be done on earth puts us in the right perspective to make sure what we are actually ‘doing’ aligns with God’s mission. Prayer is powerful, and this is something I am continuing to learn more and more every day.
Holly, Thank you for sharing your thoughts here. Especially as we’re getting close to graduation, I’m finding some similar thoughts weighing on my heart. The last two years have had their share of issues and I find that I’m constantly turning back to God, ‘ok, now I’m giving you all of it’, but it doesn’t seem to be true since I keep having to go back. I think it’s part of a missional lifestyle, consciously giving each day to God for His plans and not my own.