Wilderness Community Church
Prayer Emphasis  
Wilderness Community Church

June 18, 2016
:

Today, I invite you to read Judges 19.  If we thought that the depraved behavior of the era of the Judges could sink no lower, Judges 19 disabuses us of such a notion.  The story recounted is horrific.  A Levite, a servant of God, takes a concubine (understood to be a second wife) and then treats her miserably.  She leaves the Levite returning to her father, who offers the Levite hospitality in spite of the way in which the Levite has treated his daughter.  Returning to his home, the Levite and his second wife come to a town in one of the tribes of Benjamin, but they are not offered hospitality by the residents of the town, a grave breach of Middle Eastern culture.  An old man, not a citizen of the town, does offer hospitality, only to have citizens of the town demand that he give up the Levite and his entourage for abuse by the community.  If the story has not been awful enough, now the concubine is surrendered to the citizens of this town who rape her leaving her for dead on the threshold of the old man's home.  The story reaches an awful conclusion with the murder of the concubine by the Levite and the sending of portions of her remains to each of the twelve tribes of Israel.  As horrific as the story is literally, it symbolically underscores the depth of depravity to which God's people have sunk.  The chapter ends with the piercing questions, "What are we going to do?  Who's going to speak up?"  Essentially, will anyone stand for God and speak righteousness and justice to the people?  Will anyone live a life of holiness in the midst of such a perverse generation?  Are the questions any less relevant in our generation?

In Christ,

Keith Boyette, Pastor
Wilderness Community Church 

June 19 Prayer Focus -- Living Holy Lives, Standing For Righteousness & Justice

Lord, can humanity wander any further from your noble and good purposes?  We survey the landscape around us and we see repeated acts by people that are far from your highest and best designs for humanity.  May we not be silent.  May we speak out on behalf of righteousness and justice, and live lives marked by holiness so that your name might be honored and your purposes achieved.  In Jesus' name. Amen.

Read today's devotional in The Upper Room. 

Please pray for the following needs:
 
Virginia Annual Conference -- This is the second day of the Virginia Annual Conference.  Continue to pray for God's activity among the delegates.  Pray for an openness to the leadership of the Holy Spirit as various items of business come before the conference. 

Wilderness Community Church -- Pray that we would carefully determine what things please the Lord and then move boldly to do them.  Ephesians 5:10. 
Wilderness Community Church exists to introduce people to Jesus Christ and help them become His fully devoted followers.
540-972-8808    www.wildernesschurch.org