Jeremiah 29:7: Praying With External Focus

After being carried to Babylon, God spoke to the exiles:

"Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." - Jeremiah 29:7

Often, our actions express an unspoken focus on blessing the church, but ignoring the community in which God placed the church. How about with prayer? What does prayer look like when a church takes its eyes from itself and looks outward? Here's a thought-provoking chart from the book, The Externally Focused Quest[1]:

• "Internally Focused Church" vs "Externally Focused Church" 
• "Prayer inside the church" vs. "Prayer on location in the community (schools, places of violence, etc.)" 
• "Prayer for our people" vs. "Prayer for those outside our church-city officials, human service agency leaders, teachers, etc." 
• "Prayer for our church" vs. "Prayer for other churches"
• "Prayer for you" vs. "Pray with you"
• "Prayer for church finances" vs. "Prayer for money to be freed up to help others." 
• "Prayer for the lost." vs. "Prayer for and engagement with three people who don’t know Jesus." 
• "Prayer gatherings for people in our church." vs. "Prayer gatherings with other churches for the community." 
• "Prayer for myself (my happiness, security, health, etc.)" vs. "Prayer for people in need." 
• "Prayer for God to change them" vs. "Prayer for God to change me" 
• "Prayer for people to come to church" vs. "Prayer for people to be sent out from our church." 
• "Prayer for the success of our church." vs. "Prayer for expansion of the kingdom." 
• "People who pray" vs. "People of prayer." 

Pray outwards.


[1] The Externally Focused Quest, Eric Swanson & Rick Rusaw (John Wiley & Sons, 2010)