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DAY 3: 21 Days of Prayer – Upside Down Kingdom

21 days of prayer from the Sermon on the Mount that will transform you from the inside out.

As we begin the new year, Converge churches and missionaries from around the globe will embark on 21 Days of Prayer. Join us on this prayer journey by reading the daily entries on Converge’s blog, or by downloading your free 21 Days of Prayer: Upside-down Kingdom guide (English/Spanish). In addition, you can share daily posts from our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds. Thank you for joining us as we open 2022 in prayer together.

Day 3: Salt and light

Matthew 5:13-16

13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. 14You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

It was around 1 a.m. when I started to lose feeling in my arms and legs, followed by heart palpitations. We were in a remote facility deep in the woods of Honduras, miles from any form of civilization. I woke another pastor, who called the director of the orphanage where we were working. Within about 45 minutes, a small sedan arrived to transport me miles along what felt like endless dirt roads. Until arriving at a small block building marked with a cross. It was here I learned the value of salt.
 
When Jesus declared to the blessed misfits they were the salt of the earth, the significance was not lost on them. Salt then was so valuable, it was exchanged as currency. Roman soldiers were at times paid in salt, leading to the word “salary” and the phrase “they aren’t worth their salt.” Salt was used to preserve food. Without it, everything rotted. In a short simple statement, Jesus affirmed each person’s value both in his Kingdom and in this world. Then he doubled down with light. At night, when roads were dangerous because of the weather, animals and criminals, cities were a place of refuge and safety.
 
When I arrived at the hospital, doctors explained that because of working in high humidity, I contracted a fever and consequent sickness. This led to severe salt depletion in my body. They hooked me up to a bag of saline (low percentage saltwater) and immediately I began to feel relief and life returning to my body.

You are valuable. As a fellow blessed misfit in the Kingdom, you and I preserve the world from decay and show the way to refuge and safety. But our effectiveness as salt and light requires our efforts.

Prayer

Jesus, thank you for allowing me to be part of your mission in this world. You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, yet you have invited me to be an extension of you and your ministry. I can’t think of any greater honor. Give me eyes to see relationships in which I can serve to prevent decay. Help me to shine your light in such a way that it isn’t about me and my glory, but yours. May my good deeds cause somebody to glorify you today. Amen. 

 

Continue your prayer journey throughout the year with Converge. Download the 2022 Converge Prayer Calendar to join us as we pray for missionaries, church planters, chaplains and district and national staff members.

You can also join a global prayer network and meet virtually with others to pray for the missionaries, people and specific needs of one of Converge International Ministries’ global initiatives.

Excerpt from 21 Days of Prayer: Upside-Down Kingdom written by Robert Watson and Justin Martz.

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