Eastside 21 Days of Prayerعينة

DAY 12: A PRAYER OF PROTECTION

“Around every corner, always protect the engine that powers you” said Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. To protect is to keep something or someone safe from harm or injury. We see this in Ecclesiastes 4:11: “Also if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?”

Throughout the New Testament, the church is often referred to as the “body of Christ.” The church, like a body, has many different parts, each serving a specific purpose. No one part of a body can survive on its own; it needs the other parts. And although the body could survive without all its parts present and functioning, it works best when every organ, ligament, extremity, etc. is in full alignment and working together.

If this is true, then why is it that we so often try to do it on our own or just “do it all” ourselves? If you’ve ever watched the TV show Animal Planet, you will have seen what happens when a gazelle wanders from the herd. It is alone, vulnerable without the protection of its community, in danger of being picked off by the lions that are prowling in wait. And if it doesn’t rejoin its community, it will most certainly meet a disastrous end.

PRAY

1. Spend some time thanking God for how he has uniquely made you, and ask how you can use your gifting to serve the body of the church.
2. Ask God for forgiveness for the times that you have pulled back from the body of Christ, and ask him to restore any broken relationships that might have caused you to drift away. 
3. Pray that God would help you to find some way to serve in your church or community, so that you can utilize your strengths and share what you have to offer with others.