What is Your Response?

In Psalm 18, we can read a reminder of how we can respond when we are facing trouble in our lives, recognizing that prayer provides a powerful opportunity for us to communicate with God about our needs:
1b I will love You, O Lord, my strength.2The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.3I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.4The pangs of death surrounded me, And the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.5The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.6In my distress I called upon the Lord, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry came before Him, even to His ears.

When we are in distress or when we experience conflict in our lives or we observe it in the lives of others, it's important that we remember the presence of the Lord to help and heal.  He is an incredible source of strength, and as we call upon Him in faith, we can believe that He will get involved and His Spirit will work to bring a resolution.  In our own lives, when we feel desperate, we can be reminded of His presence.  And, on a larger scale, the body of Christ can be an important voice when we see desperate situations unfold.

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The front page of a website from a movement organized by a group of ministers from the Ferguson, Missouri, area, displays this verse of Scripture from Psalm 118:5:
In my distress I called upon the Lord, the Lord answered me and set me in a spacious place.

The New King James translation reads:
5I called on the Lord in distress; The Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.6The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?

Weeks ago, I talked about the significance of a tent strategically placed in a community that could be used as a tool through which God could work.  Well, during October, a large tent was erected in Ferguson, Missouri as part of what is known as the Ferguson Response.

From its website, here is the backstory:

In late August 2014, a small group of ministerial leaders began to seek the Lord about what He would require of them in regards to the growing crisis in Ferguson. Through prayer, the Lord instructed them to call a corporate fast and erect a tent in Ferguson for extended worship and community outreach daily.From October 4th-25th, 2014, Christian churches, ministries, and individuals around the nation joined with believers in the Greater St.Louis region to exalt Jesus above the ethnic divisions, political injustices, and socio-cultural crises of our times.

The front page of the site says this:

A great spiritual awakening is emerging in the middle of America. In the midst of great pain and turmoil, many are finding hope and healing through the love of Jesus Christ as he is exalted above the escalating crises surrounding the confrontation between officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown. Since October 4th, thousands of Christians from across the nation have united with believers from across the St. Louis metro area and the city of Ferguson through corporate fasting, extended praise, worship, and radical expressions of Biblical love. Together, we are entreating the Lord for mercy, to restrain lawlessness and establish his righteousness and justice in our nation.

The tent was erected on Florissant Ave., where people were engaged in worship and ministry from 8-12 hours each day - over 170 hours of praise and worship occurred in the tent during that 3-week period.  There were a variety of expressions of God's love and power, including a reported 50 people saved.  The tent expression ended on October 25th with a free community feast, with a variety of activities, including a panel discussion with the great granddaughter of Dred Scott and the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Ferguson Response Director Jonathan Tremaine Thomas is quoted on the Christian Newswire website as saying, "Both authorities and citizens in St. Louis are bracing for a potential eruption of violence not only here but possibly around the nation. Not everyone is prone to violence but various ideological groups have converged on the area and there is international presence. Some see it as a flashpoint for the advancement of anarchist agendas and have made serious threats but we see it as a flashpoint for revival. We have clearly seen the prevailing hand of God and know that He responds to His people when we fervently pray."

Thomas added, "Regardless of the facts and the outcome, every believer has a major role to play in the healing of these wounds and peace in the nations. It's critical that we respond to the Lord now."

So, now as the news outlets have begun their ramping up to the possible grand jury decision on the Michael Brown encounter with officer Darren Wilson, church leaders in Ferguson are continuing to emphasize the importance of prayer, of calling out to God in the midst of this potentially explosive situation.  They had originally released a 21-day prayer guide, which is available on the website, www.thefergusonresponse.com.   Those principles are still relevant today as people from across the nation join in prayer.

A couple of thoughts for you today:

First of all, when we see conflict, we can know that the presence of the Lord is available and that He would want to bring peace to diffuse such situations.  The hearts of people across America, regardless of racial and cultural background, have been troubled by the events that have unfolded in this area.  It is appropriate that the church is present and is desiring to minister in a passionate and effective way to spread God's love.

And, we can consider our own hearts and the situations we face.  When we encounter conflict and relational difficulties, how do we respond?   Prayer can be a powerful force in bringing the peace of the Lord, and I believe if we follow the principles of His Word and approach these instances with a display of humility and a desire to reconcile, we can rely on His resources to bring a solution to bear.