Salvos called to 100 Days of Prayer and Devotion
Salvos called to 100 Days of Prayer and Devotion
21 September 2018
Photo:Priscilla du Preez.
These are significant days for The Salvation Army in Australia as we prepare to become one territory.
In recent weeks, I have found myself thinking often about Joshua in the Old Testament. When Joshua was preparing his people to cross the Jordan River into the land they had been promised he said, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5).
With these words Joshua was challenging the people to prepare themselves spiritually, in readiness for what the Lord was going to do among them.
It wasn’t just an instruction for the leaders, or for a select few. On the eve of one of the greatest days in their history, it was a challenge for the whole community.
Israel was commanded to be certain they were right with God. To examine their lives, confess their sins and devote themselves wholly to the Lord. Consecration isn’t a word we hear a lot these days, but it’s a powerful idea and an important one for God’s people.
To consecrate is to set apart and dedicate oneself for a special purpose. So when Joshua says “consecrate yourselves”, it’s a call to address anything that would hinder our relationship with God.
It’s a call to holy living and obedience, repenting in areas of our life that need to change. God was going to do something amazing with his people, but first he asked them to prepare themselves; to consecrate themselves. The people of Israel obeyed and God performed wonders among them.
As we anticipate the incredible new things God will do in The Salvation Army Australia Territory, I believe those same words are for us: “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
Our National Vision talks about transforming Australia one life at a time with the love of Jesus. I picture a wave of transformation and renewal over our beautiful nation.
In preparation, we need to invite the Holy Spirit to do a work of transformation and renewal in our own hearts.
On 24 September 2018, 100 Days of Prayer and Devotion will launch across The Salvation Army in Australia, and I would like to encourage you to be a part of it.
The 100 days will lead us through to 1 January 2019. Special resources have been prepared to help create a space where together as a nation we can be directed by God, be challenged to confess and repent and where we can hear from the Lord for the way ahead.
They are high-quality materials, with Gary Thomas’ Sacred Pathways, Adele Ahlberg Calhoun’s Spiritual Disciplines Handbook and articles from Kathryn Shirey complementing contributions from Salvationists.
We all connect with God in different ways, so 100 Days of Prayer and Devotion will include a variety of pathways to connect with God.
100 Days of Prayer and Devotion is a call to position ourselves to pray and press into the Word of God, to prepare us individually and as an Army of God for all that he has planned.
Our National Strategy says that we will foster Christian spirituality – reflected through prayer, engagement with scripture and holy living, and this is one way for us to come together across the country and live that out.
These are exciting days for The Salvation Army in Australia. Let’s allow God to do his work of purifying and preparation for all he wants to do in and through us.
Let’s set aside the time to listen to him, to read his word, and really understand what he is saying to us. And then, let us be prepared to obey.
The 100 Days of Prayer and Devotion resources will be available at australiaone.info
Colonel Robyn Maxwell is the National Ambassador for Holiness and Prayer.
Read Commissioner Floyd Tidd's invitation to 100 Days of Prayer and Devotion.
Comments
I read this article of invitation and vision and was deeply moved and encouraged. Thanks Colonel Maxwell! Although I am not a Salvationist it is in my blood and I pray that The Salvation Army will once again become a Holiness movement - a movement that indeed may be the spearhead for the first real Christian Revival in Australia. "Dream large my soul, dream large"
Join Aboriginal peoples for a national prayer vigil for Aboriginal deaths in custody 26 September https://www.commongrace.org.au/the_only_thing_i_could_do_was_pray