Immerse Chronicles - God governs the nations
How’s your Immerse reading and journaling going? Do you have any tips that have helped you make it part of your daily routine?
Read: 2 Chronicles 36:22-23
How do you feel about the fact that God “stirred the heart of Cyrus?” What do you think that experience might have been like for the king?
Read: Ezra 1:5-7
If you were a Jew returning from exile to your city, what emotions might you have felt?
Read: Ezra 6:6-10
God used the actions of secular world powers to accomplish the judging and restoration of his people, and to pave a way toward Jesus. Today, God still maintains sovereignty over the nations of our world.
Do you find that easy or difficult to believe?
How can that knowledge give you hope?
Walter encouraged us to respond to God’s sovereignty over a world that is clouded by sin in three ways:
Lament over the brokenness of our world and our helplessness to solve its problems.
Shift our perspective to salvation in Jesus alone.
Pray for our sisters and brothers and for the oppressed caught up in violence and conflict.
How can you practice Lament/Shift/Prayer this week?
Prayer: We’re going to try something different today! Psalm 102 contains elements of Lament, Shift, and Prayer. As a group, pray through Psalm 102 together. Assign different people different verses or sections, and then pray together, using the words of the Psalm to direct your prayer.
Leaders Note: We prayed three prayers during Sunday’s service – a prayer of lament, a prayer of perspective shift, and a prayer for God to protect the oppressed and those caught up in the conflict in Ukraine. Feel free to use these prayers in your group gathering, or to challenge your people to pray them during the week:
Lament: “God, we are trapped in a broken world. We see suffering all around us. We are sorry for the hurt we inevitably cause with our actions. Father, we need healing, we need peace, we need you. In Jesus name we pray.”
Shift: “Jesus, you alone are our savior. You are our true King. Let your Kingdom come, and let your will be done in our lives. We are your citizens. We give you our allegiance. We place our faith in you. It is in your name that we pray.”
Pray: “God, we know you govern the nations, and we affirm your sovereignty over all things in this world. We pray for our brothers and sisters caught in the conflict in Ukraine. We pray for an easing of the suffering, and for protection of the resources and people offering aid in this conflict. Father, our only hope is in you. It is in the name of Jesus, your Son, we pray.”