Willing to be Front Liners
Last night’s prayer and praise night at church was amped up and then what evolved was intercession on behalf of Afghanistan and those innocent people who are living in terror for their lives. I have offered mediocre prayers for them, but suddenly my heart turned a corner to sincere concern for my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ who are trying so desperately to flee the Taliban. I had to ask forgiveness for carrying on my life of ease and comfort and not being the voice, the hands, and the feet of Jesus. The very least I can do is to pray.
On Tuesday, I met a friend’s 22-years-old granddaughter, who recently joined the army and is stationed in El Paso. Right now, she’s in human resources with a desk job, but this young woman doesn’t hesitate to admit she’s willing to go into combat. I can’t even imagine it, but there are those who love their country so much they’re willing to go to the front lines for her. We aren’t being asked to go to combat or be on the front lines in the truest sense of the words, BUT, as Christ followers, God asks that we be front liners for Him as His hands, feet and voice on behalf of our brothers and sisters in Christ.
A couple of days ago I blogged about praying for each other with a vengeance against the enemy who is set on stealing, killing, and destroying. Here we are in the safety net of living in this incredibly free country of America. Those abroad dream to live here or at least for their country to have breakthroughs for freedom and peace.
We are the Body of Christ, the body of believers, and we are the army God called to represent Him to the world. It’s profound to realize that the Body of Christ is not a figure of speech. Each believer, you and me, make up the Body of Christ, literally, as much as Jesus when He walked the earth.
By our presence on this earth at this time is an assignment direct from Heaven Central. If we are willing to serve God’s missions (as my young friend now serves in the Army), we are being Jesus “with skin on”. When we step up to pray and praise, we can expect the trajectory of our prayers to bombard the gates of hell and the grave. Praying WITH and FOR God’s people puts us on the front lines – the front runners – the bold, the brave and the beautiful. Our prayers prove God still walks the earth in the flesh of you and me. We can be God’s ear for them, God’s touch, and God’s comfort.
“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which He blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are His body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.” ― St. Teresa of Avila