I love the idea of expressing protest through prayer- the saints are rising up in prayer to fight the injustices of the world. We’re praying alongside each other without ever fully grasping it. Whispered words rumble through the streets at night after the last desk light has dimmed; God’s people are still praying.

We are part of a greater movement, a moment in time unlike any other, voices of every nation awakening a sleeping giant. We are a peaceful insurgency. We remain still, as God fights for us. I hope we’re ready.

We are the sons and daughters of the prophets of old. Fearlessly, Amos continued to reveal the visions God had given him despite opposition from within the church. Hosea obeyed God’s command to marry a prostitute, wooing her back to him as an illustration of God’s love for His idolatrous people. Daniel continued to pray to God even under the threat of his life, exemplifying incomprehensible and unfaltering faith. Micah rails against social injustice, calling Israel back to God.

We know the story. The Israelites were wicked. They worshiped other gods. They lacked faith, disregarded God’s promises, blatantly turned their backs on Him. They were dishonest, and consistently dissatisfied. So why save them, undeserving as they were?

Is our story really so different today? Think globally for a second about the brokenness of our world. We’re in the middle of a global water crisis. The AIDS pandemic has killed more than 25 million people since the early 1980s, and orphaned more than 15 million children worldwide. Six-year-old children are sold as sex slaves, never knowing any better.

Daily we must battle against greed and materialism, widening class gaps and a health care system that isn’t a right, but a privilege. We fight depression, abuse, eating disorders, and addictions. We battle jealousy, lust, gluttony, and reckless individualism.

The world is full of sin. It’s sick. So then why does God call us to intercede for this bleeding world, undeserving as we are?

We serve the God of compassion and mercy. The God who looked down on Ninevah and relented. We serve the God who held back His wrath for the many to honor the prayers of the few. Our God called Amos and Hosea and Daniel and Micah before us to intercede on behalf of His lost. Now He’s calling us to do the same.

Where will we fit into this? I want to pick up the torch that those prophets handed off to us. I pray that after FORTY our fervor for God isn’t quenched, that our appetite isn’t even whetted. I pray that we can feel the brokenness of this world with genuine compassion and lift up cries of protest to heaven, knowing that our God is a God who hears and saves.