How many of you have heard Kari Jobe and Cody Carne's song "The Blessing"? I first heard it through the "UK Blessing" video; where worship leaders from across the United Kingdom came together to sing this song to the Church in the UK and around the world? If you haven't watched it, it is a powerful version of this song that has touched hundreds of thousands.
As I listened to it, I found myself using this powerful creative gift as a tool to help me pray for the world. This post is a simple walk through of how you might do this personally or lead your church in this participatory prayer activity.
As the song starts, allow yourself to relax and let go of the worries and cares of your day.
Once you have released your preoccupation, then accept the blessing for yourself. Thank God for all He has given you.
As you let the fact that you are truly blessed sink in, then turn to sing the blessing to others in your life.
Start with your family and those you are in lockdown with. Allow each face to come to your mind as you pray this blessing for them.
Then move to your neighbors and do the same.
Now picture your community, city and state in your mind and pray the blessing for them more abstractly.
Continue to "zoom out" and pray the blessing for our nation. Ask God to bless leaders, businesses, the marginalized, immigrants, the elderly, children and so on.
Now that you are imaging the nation in your mind, begin to go continent by continent praying the blessing over North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania. As you focus on each continent think about a news story, a person or a ministry you know about in each of those places and make them the focus of your blessing.
Then as the song comes to an end, zoom back down to England, where this song came from, and extend this blessing to the churches who gave us this special gift.
I would encourage you to use this powerful tool as a guide to comfort those who are suffering, help those around you to focus on others instead of themselves and expand our prayer focus beyond what we know to the fullness of what God cares about.
May this exercise be a blessing to you today.
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