international visitors

“Pray the News” – February 17th, 2013

Three times in my life I’ve moved to a different continent.  Because of what He’s brought me through, God has given me a soft heart towards international visitors, which is our prayer focus today in our 40 days of prayer together, “Seek God for the City.” Our city is a refuge for hundreds of thousands of international visitors and residents – you likely encounter multiple nationalities every time you go to the grocery store.

Moses, Abraham, Lot, and later on Paul and all the apostles became what the Bible calls aliens & strangers (“international visitors”).

The Bible contains hundreds of references to aliens and strangers. The Lord tells us to care for the foreigners living among us, to not take advantage of or mistreat them, to give them true justice, and to show love to them, because we were once foreigners to God Himself.

Psalm 119:19 (NIV) – “I am a stranger on earth; do not hide your commands from me.”

Jesus includes inviting strangers into our homes in His teaching about the final judgment.

Before we pray, I want to tell you about Sofie. June 2011 right after the youth mission trip to Chicago, 10 minute conversation, email a week ago “from your friend Sofie” . . . a ten-minute conversation could change someone’s life, their eternal destiny.  God, would you give us eyes to see the aliens and strangers around us, and take time to love the one in front of us.