Praying the Micah Challenge

For the past couple of Fridays I have been joining with sisters and brothers around the world and praying the Micah Challenge. You know the words from Scripture: “He has shown all you people what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

The Micah Challenge is part of a global Christian campaign. Its aims are to deepen engagement with impoverished and marginalized communities; and to challenge leaders to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG), and in doing halve absolute global poverty by 2015! Micah Challenge USA is a movement of churches, organizations, schools, families, and individuals united by their desire to see the end of Extreme Global Poverty.

Each Friday, Micah Challenge USA sends an email inviting prayer around a focal point. For example, today’s emphasis was on learning that people need to leave their given identities behind in order to be a blessing to the nations. The Scriptural basis was Genesis 12:1-3 and Galatians 3:28-29:

‘In Christ’s family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ’s family, then you are Abraham’s famous “descendant,” heirs according to the covenant promises.” (Galatians 3:28-29, The Message)

As well, each week prayer is focused around one of the one of the nine Millennium Development Goals. The week it is Goal 6: To Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases and to have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases. Did you know that each year, 424,000 people develop MDR-TB, a form of TB that does not respond to the standard treatment. It emerges when there is mismanagement of drugs and under investment in quality TB control. It can also be spread from one person to another.

I have found the Micah Challenge to be a powerful connection point with God, others and our world through prayer. Why not join the movement today? To paraphrase Len Sweet, let’s not settle for making a difference in the world, let’s make the world a different place.

Dream Venti…