Visual Faith

You may have seen it in the movies, the shield wall. Soldiers link their individual protection together and form a protective boundary against the weapons of the enemy. Then, with muscle and grit, they inch forward in unified effort. They are able to use their strengthened boundary to push back the boundary drawn by the enemy.

Our prayer this week is “Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.” Link your shield of prayer and God’s Word with others. In your prayer journal sketch out a simple shield and label the evil you feel stressed by. Sketch in another linked shield and label the evil attack pressing a brother or sister in Christ. Sketch in another linked shield and label the pressure felt by international christians and so forth. As you’re sketching let these words from God fill your prayers.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose…

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:26–28, 37–39 (ESV)

Let others know you have been linking shields and praying for them.