21 Days of Prayer & Fasting 2021: Day 4

DAY 4: I AM RECONCILED (IN CHRIST)
Thursday, February 11

READ
Ephesians 2:11-22

REFLECT
What do the countries of Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, Turkey, Somalia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Syria, Libya, and Yemen all have in common? No, they are not the locations of upcoming mission trips Pathway will be taking. They are all countries who have recently experienced or still experiencing some form of civil war. In fact, 20% of the world’s countries have experienced at least 10 years of civil war since their origin. Unfortunately, America is among this number. Like these other countries, the effects of our Civil War were significant and transformed our country.

We all have some sort of conflict we have to deal with in our relationships. Sometimes they are actually “uncivil” conflicts. Someone cuts us off on the road and we engage with them… Conflict. We have a financial disagreement with our spouse… Conflict. Someone at work speaks to us the wrong way and we respond in the same way… Conflict.

The Bible reveals every single one of us was born into conflict. Unfortunately, we are the ones who have instigated it. This conflict is against God. The Bible says every single person is born as an enemy of God (Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21). It is not only because of what we do, it is also because of who we are.

Reconciliation occurs when the relationship we had prior to the conflict is restored. Reconciliation suggests a change in something—a relationship, a status, a transaction, etc. It is a reversal of something negative. The word is often used in today’s culture in the context of relationships.

Ephesians 2:11-22 speaks of how the gospel can reconcile two relationships: 1) between God and man, and 2) between man and man. The gospel has given us the opportunity to have our vertical relationship (with God) and our horizontal relationships (with others) reconciled according to God’s original intent. The gospel breaks down the wall between God and man and the wall that we have built between one another.

RESPOND
Spend time in prayer, following the Upward, Inward, Outward, Upward format.

Upward: Who God is; What God has done, is doing, will do
Inward: Who you are; How you live
Outward: Intercession for others; unified prayer focus with Pathway

TODAY’S PRAYER: God, help us to be agents of reconciliation in this city, in our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces, and in our homes. Guide us in discovering opportunities to demonstrate our reconciliation with you through our relationships with others. Remind us that our identities are based on our relationships with you.

Upward: Thanksgiving and Worship