Week: Authentic Prayer
We start by pausing and taking a deep breath:
In and out.
In and out.
We remember that God is here, and so together we prepare ourselves to be with God.
Pause
Mighty God, open our eyes, stir our hearts and teach us how, ‘To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly’ with You today. (Micah 6:8)
Martin Luther King Jnr was born on the 15th of January 1929 in the United States of America. Unfortunately, America wasn’t united at that time, because black people were segregated and separated from white people in all sorts of ways.
Before we learn more about Martin Luther King Jnr’s life, let’s REFLECT on what Jesus said about how different people should treat each other.
READ BY Jackson R
Mathew 5:43-45
Jesus said, ‘You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour and hate your enemies.” But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who hurt you. If you do this, you will be true children of your Father in heaven.’
Mathew 543-45a (NCV)
In August 1963, a year before he won the Nobel Peace Prize, Martin Luther King Jnr led a quarter of a million people on a peaceful march in Washington, the capital city of America. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, he talked for 17-minutes to the huge crowd, and at the end, a gospel singer called Mahalia Jackson, who was sitting behind him, shouted, ‘Tell them about the dream!’
‘I have a dream…’ he began. ‘Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.’
His dream was that everyone one day would be treated equally in America. His dream was that people, both those who had suffered and those who had caused suffering, would be able to sit at a table together. His dream was that places where injustice, or wrong things, had taken place would become places of freedom. His dream was that people would ‘not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.’* His dream is still inspiring and relevant today.
Let’s press pause and chat about today’s question, which is: What dreams or hopes do we feel God has given to us?
It’s easy for us to point the finger at other people, to see when they’re being mean, or when they’re judging people unfairly. It’s not so easy for us to see when we’re being mean though. Let’s ASK God to help us.
Loving God, we ASK you to show us what is in our hearts. Forgive us when we judge others who are different to us. Help us to love everyone and be kind to everyone equally.
People are still ‘judged by the colour of their skin’ in many countries around the world, including our country – it’s called racism.
Lord God, we add our prayers to Martin Luther King Jnr’s as we ASK You to change people’s hearts and minds. We pray that one day everyone would be treated equally.
And now, let’s say YES to God together.
Father God, we may not get to lead a peaceful march and speak in front of a quarter of a million people, but we say YES to Your invitation to follow Jesus, wherever He wants to lead us. Help us, especially, to be peacemakers. Help us to act fairly and to do the right thing, even if it’s difficult.
Let’s put a hand on our heart.
Father God, fill us with Your love. Help us to love You, and everything that You’ve made.
Let’s point to our eyes.
Lord Jesus, help us to see You, and to see others the way that You see them too.
Let’s point to our ears.
Holy Spirit, help us to hear You, and give us courage to do what You say.
King, Martin Luther. “I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King, Jr; August 28, 1963.” The Avalon Project, Yale Law School, avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/mlk01.asp
Unathi lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her husband and 5 kids; and has a passion for seeing families thriving.
You’ll most likely find her homeschooling the tribe, reading, writing, or dreaming about the next DIY project.
She also loves good coffee, dark chocolate and hiking.
Jackson is 11 and lives with his younger brother and parents in Surrey. He loves pretty much all sport but his favourites are football, golf and jumping off high stuff into water! He enjoys gaming and is always ready to build something on Minecraft.
