Sunday world cup; blessings South Africa
By: Thamsing Lamkang
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The cry and prayer of South Africans: Lord Jesus, as we welcome nations coming to play, and more than 200 nations to watch the World Cup Soccer 2010, we want Jesus to receive the nations, in the streets of Cape Town, Johannesburg, Bloemfontein, etc. We want them to hear of your great name Jesus, and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm! We want to invite them with warm hospitality and friendliness to the heart of Jesus and the feast with God’s son. We pray that no one will take advantage of each other either by greed, or power, or sexual perversion. Let all have an attitude to serve others more than ourselves! Experience Jesus’ presence: Help us to create a sacred space for the nations to experience God’s presence. We pray that the Christians of our nation will model Christ and the transform LIFE He brings to all the people of the world who do now know Him. We pray that the Churches of our nation will succeed in their endeavor to work together for the ultimate goal of bringing hope and change to our country. To hear the gospel: We pray that the seeds of the gospel will fall in the hearts of those nations visiting us that have less than 5% Christians: Algeria, Japan, and North Korea. We pray for the local and visiting Christians and the Christians in the soccer teams to proclaim the gospel clearly by word and deed! Advance reconciliation and restitution: In this time of together, shared fun and excitement, we pray that the nations drenched in pessimism and despair, will find hope and healing with us. We pray that all will cross the barriers of racial and ethnic divides and that the pain of our land and the history of reconciliation be both gateways for peoples to know: Only Jesus can bring healing. We pray that the fathers will be drawn to their sons and the sons to their fathers in building renewed family units. We pray that, as rich and poor celebrate together, that You will fill us with compassion and the resolve to eradicate poverty. Spiritual Growth: We pray that the Christian life-coaching programme (Ubabalo) developed for WC-2010 will help our children and youth to grow into responsible God-fearing citizens and followers of Jesus. We pray for the 3000 soccer coaches in SA that have been trained to be life coaches, the 60 countries of the world with tens of thousands of coaches in this programme to serve the nations with a lasting legacy of restored values, godly principles and integrity. His Glory: Lord Jesus, help us to use whatever gift we have received to serve the nations by faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms with the sole intent: To proclaim The Lordship of Jesus clearly! Let’s join the South Africans in prayer 1. Grant, O Lord, that the celebration of the beautiful game (football) may leave our country and continent with a lasting legacy of restored values, godly principles and integrity. 2. Grant, O Lord, that our children and the youth will grow into responsible God-fearing citizens through the life-coaching programs developed for them, by our churches. 3. Grant, O Lord, that the interest in soccer and the shared fun and excitement will draw fathers to their sons and the sons to their fathers in building renewed family units. 4. Grant, O Lord that the Christians of our nation model Christ and the transformed LIFE He brings to all the peoples of the world who do not know Him. 5. Grant, O Lord that our National Team becomes our pride, a rallying point for every South African. 6. Grant, O Lord that during our times of celebration, we may be ever mindful of the poor amongst us who have no capacity for the joy we experience and fill us with compassion and resolve to eradicate poverty. 7. Grant, O Lord that our people will not take advantage of visitors or be taken advantage of by powerful role players in World Soccer. Let all have an attitude to serve others more than ourselves! 8. Grant, O Lord that the churches of our nation will succeed in their endeavor to work together for the ultimate goal of bringing hope and change to our country. 9. Grant, O Lord, that reconciliation and restitution will be advanced through soccer initiatives across the divides of our past. 10. Grant, O Lord that from our pristine shores may flow rivers of warmth, hospitality and friendliness, to all who will visit our land. 11. Grant, O Lord, that the coming together of a nation, drenched in pessimism and despair, may find hope and healing in this time of togetherness around a common goal. 12. Grant, O Lord that Bafana Bafana will give our nation a taste of knowing the beauty of success. 13. Grant, O Lord, that the vicious cycle of human, and especially child trafficking be brought to an end, and the sanctity of human life be restored. 14. Grant, O Lord that this world cup will be an open window through which we can look and imagine what we as South African can become. 15. Grant, O Lord the remembrance that we owe this world cup to the children in the streets who for many years played soccer when no other sport was easily accessible to them, that today they bring it to us so we can share it together. 16. Grant to us O Lord the humility to receive the gift the world cup is giving us, a gift from the street. 17. Grant, O Lord that during our time of Celebration we will not forget those who are affected and stigmatized by the HIV-AIDS Epidemic. 18. Grant, O Lord that we may retain the picture of success in our minds long after the World Cup is over, long enough for us to want to work towards a successful and prosperous country. God bless South Africa & god bless FIFA! Thamsing Lamkang, Sports Resource Center & Nagaland Sports Coalition, Dimapur.
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