…praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints” Ephesians 6:18 ESV).
Thoughts on Yesterday’s Challenge
I find that I am becoming more aware of the needs of others since I am not praying for myself. I hear of some tragedy on the news and my heart goes out to the individuals, families and friends affected by it. I find myself praying for protection for first- responders.
This challenge brought back to mind the acronym J.O.Y. Jesus. Others. Yourself. If we truly wish to be filled with God’s joy, this is the correct order of things.
The Verse
The portion of this verse that got my attention is “making supplication for all the saints.” I pray for those from my church, but I don’t regularly extend that grace to those believers who are not from my church.
Part of that is because the needs of those in my church are clear. We have prayer requests. We can recognize, because of familiarity, when someone is hurting. But need is not defined only by what we see and know.
The people of the Church in my part of the world rarely face martyrdom. We may miss a few meals, but generally speaking, we don’t face death by starvation. And while the American Church has been increasingly targeted, and our religious freedoms compromised, we still enjoy lives relatively free of persecution…of any kind.
Remembering things like these should bring us to our knees, not entirely to seek to maintain our status quo, but rather for those who face them every day, sometimes with very dire consequences.
Blessings on your day!
Skipping Stones 
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