ODB: Prayer and Transformation
July 16, 2023
READ: Psalm 107:23–36
They cried out to the
In 1982, pastor Christian Führer began Monday prayer meetings at Leipzig’s St. Nicholas Church. For years, a handful gathered to ask God for peace amid global violence and the oppressive East German regime. Though communist authorities watched churches closely, they were unconcerned until attendance swelled and spilled over to mass meetings outside the church gates. On October 9, 1989, seventy thousand demonstrators met and peacefully protested. Six thousand East German police stood ready to respond to any provocation. The crowd remained peaceful, however, and historians consider this day a watershed moment. A month later, the Berlin Wall fell. The massive transformation all started with a prayer meeting.
As we turn to God and begin relying on His wisdom and strength, things often begin to shift and reshape. Like Israel, when we cry “out to the
But it’s God who (in His time—not ours) enacts transformation. Prayer is how we participate in the transforming work He’s doing.
— Winn Collier
When have you seen God do something transformative? What’s the connection between His actions and our prayers?
Dear God, I need Your transforming work. Please change what only You can change.
Source: Our Daily Bread
