April 12 2023

PRAY THE PICTURE

Every day, we invite you into the ancient spiritual prayer practices of Lectio and Visio Divina. Each day you will be given a picture to meditate on in prayer, Visio Divina or “eating/digesting the image,” asking the Holy Spirit to prompt things from the image for you to pray into and to fill the image with spiritual meaning. Most of these visuals will connected to the concept of “Saturation” and will be connected to the insights included in each day’s prayer fuel.

We encourage you to start your prayer time each day by sitting in silence with the picture and listening for the Holy Spirit’s direction. It might also be meaningful to return to the image after you have read the additional pieces of the prayer fuel, using it to wrap up your time of intercession and giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to speak through it on even deeper levels. May you be blessed as you engage your Creator in visually inspired prayer.

PRAY WITH CULTURAL INSIGHT

Nestled in the foothills of the Middle Atlas Mountains is the city of Beni-Mellal, the major city of the Beni-Mellal/Khenifra Region of Morocco, known primarily for their agricultural and textile products. Because of its geographic location in the country, Believers face literal mountains when it comes to fellowship and community. Most believers find themselves two or three hours away from other Believers in any given direction and the widespread nature of small, rural, mountainous villages makes building relationships and trust in an on-going discipleship context incredibly difficult. When you add to these already staggering challenges the fact that the isolated nature of these villages has led to the development of dozens of dialectal variations of their anciently spoken Berber language and the task for the Church in this place is understandably daunting. On top of this, a lack of education and poverty are major issues in the region holding the highest illiteracy rate in the nation. As a result, the proclamation efforts in this area are focused primarily on media outlets and audio recordings of Scripture.

Despite the many mountains in the way, these efforts are producing fruit in this region, particularly among women, who have historically been marginalized and denied education, and we are seeing a generation of daughters discipling their mothers.

Ask the Lord that these beginning seedlings of faith will take deep roots, like many of the crops produced in the region, that they will be watered by His Spirit, and that they would multiply. Ask for a deepening maturity among believers and a desire to gather together, despite the many barriers, into faith communities who understand the importance of fellowship and discipleship. Ask that out of this fellowship and discipleship, strong, healthy, thriving marriages—the foundation of healthy families and healthy churches—would develop and multiply. Ask for a breaking of the widespread oppression of ignorance, illiteracy, and poverty. And ask for resilience for the people of God in this region, who figuratively and literally climb mountains every day—that they would be continually restored by the One who gives them energy and rest.

PRAY THE WORD 

Each day, as we engage the practice of Lectio Divina, “eating/digesting the Word,” the Scripture we will pray comes from a community of prayer from within Morocco that has been praying Saturation over Morocco.

Adjective: “Saturated”—holding as much water or moisture as can be absorbed; thoroughly soaked
Noun: “Saturation”—the degree or extent to which something is completely absorbed

This group is daring to pray audacious prayers of saturation—asking for God’s Kingdom to come to Morocco to such an extent that it is completely absorbed in His truth, presence, and transformation. Keep this in mind as you pray these Scriptures and join with those who are already praying audacious prayers on behalf of Morocco.  

John 4:13-14 Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

Pray for the boldness needed for Moroccans to drink deeply of the water of life offered through Jesus and share it with those around them.

PRAY THE SONG

God, we are waiting for You!  Jesus we know You are coming soon.  Help Morocco be like a bride waiting for her Groom…

“Even So Come” by Passion (feat. Kristian Stanfill)