“In him all things hold together” says Paul in Colossians 1. When big things collapse around us, this verse gives us firm hope that God is still in control.
In a previous post (Burning Bibles?) I described species extinction as a diminishing of God’s glory on earth, something to lament over. I also hinted that human sin is mostly to blame. While this is true, as individuals we can feel distressed and helpless at what is happening in our world. What can we do in the face of global species loss and other massive problems like deforestation, climate change or overfishing of the oceans?
Since God remains the sustainer and redeemer of the world, praying for creation is a good response. When we’re faced with problems that seem too big for us to influence, prayer is the alternative to despair or turning away. We pray because we know it moves God, and because it also changes us. Praying for creation keeps our eyes attentive and our hearts softened to its groaning. It may also show us something we can do to help, however small.
Starting this month we are encouraging ISVers to include creation as well as personal needs in the prayer requests we share. These could be for issues affecting people (e.g. air pollution in your city) or affecting mainly other species (e.g. a proposed road across a wildlife corridor). They may be local (e.g. illegal dumping in your local lake), far away (e.g. fires in the Amazon rainforest) or global.
Creation is waiting to share the freedom we have been given in Christ (Romans 8). In prayer we can begin to share our freedom with creation.
“When we’re faced with problems that seem too big for us to influence, prayer is the alternative to despair or turning away.”
James and his family care for creation in South Asia.
*Names have been changed.
