Saturday, December 5, 2009

Quick Thoughts about a Long Walk

The ministry I've been getting plugged into in Baltimore City, Maryland has a monthly routine of prayer walking on North Avenue on the last Saturday of each month. I haven't missed a single one since I've started coming up to the city to join them in prayer and intercession for God to turn things around and make this city beautiful again. We're believing for a complete transformation in the hearts and lives of every individual, and in return a massive overhaul in the atmosphere of this city.

Baltimore Eastern District ImageImage via www.copinthehood.com



A perfect picture of the desolation of this city can be seen as you walk down North Avenue. Many blocks of the street still show the painful scars of the riots that took place in 1968 following the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. At that time, the combine efforts of the city, state, and federal government with their police and military forces, could not bring peace. The solution they finally came up with was to ask the drug lord of that day for help in getting peace in the land.

On that day, the authority over the land was transferred – and we still see the effects of that dark leadership. At one community meeting a young person made the comment that they respect their neighborhood drug dealer more than their neighborhood police officer. Something is definitely wrong with that mindset. But sadly, it’s the reality the majority of our city’s young people live in.

As we ventured out on Saturday, November 28, 2009, we proclaimed the same word God gave Joshua before he crossed the Jordan river to take the land that was ruled by evil men:
“I will give you every place where you set your foot…”
Joshua 1:3
The weather was a bit blustery for us that day, but we pressed on. Then, a beautiful thing happened about ¾ of the way down our 5 mile trek of the entire length of North Avenue. I was in the midst of one of my general approaches to prayer – simply asking God what He wanted me to pray and praying it. A simple chorus came to my mind from Misty Edward’s song “Light of Your Face” (that you can download for free by clicking here). I allowed the melody to pour over me, “Let the light of your face shine down on my heart, and let me feel it.”

No sooner did I finish that line did we crest a hill and the sun came shining brilliantly down upon us. My heart was filled with so much joy. I have no doubt that God has a unique destiny for this city. He only asks that we partner with Him in bringing it to pass.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

1 comment:

  1. Hey Beth!! It's Hannah:) Thanks for the post! I love you heart for Baltimore. God bless your beautiful prayers!

    ReplyDelete