By Paul Baxley, CBF Executive Coordinator

“Seek the welfare of the city to which I have sent you…and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” – Jeremiah 29:7

The prophet Jeremiah calls the Hebrew people to pray for the wellbeing of their communities. This summons to prayer is made remarkable because the communities Jeremiah mentions are Babylonian cities, places to which the Israelites had been sent after the destruction of Jerusalem. Jeremiah already knows what James will teach centuries later, that the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective, and he certainly believes that praying for the wellbeing of communities will also lead the Hebrews to act in ways that promote wellbeing. 

Jeremiah’s call to the exiles, I believe, is God’s call for Cooperative Baptists and other Christians in this very challenging national and international moment. Increasingly, the mounting partisanship that has characterized national and global politics through my adulthood has turned violent and compromised the ability of local, state and national governments to take action toward the common good.

The increasingly hateful tone of political speech has overtaken social media, turned family members against one another and made the lives of congregations intensely challenging. It is time for followers of Jesus to pray for the well-being of our communities, for the end of violence, for the healing of bitter divisions, and for decisive steps to be taken toward communities that are more peaceful, just and beautiful.  

Cooperative Baptist congregations are uniquely equipped to pray and act in this moment. More than many other congregations in most of our communities, our church families are still incredibly politically diverse. The overwhelming majority of our congregations are still places where people gather for life together who do not think the same way about all theological questions, vote the same way in all political processes, or share the same views about many other matters.

This political and theological diversity has been present in our life from our beginnings, but it is increasingly rare.  It is not a sign of weakness or the absence of conviction. It is a testimony to our faith that Jesus Christ saves us not because we are correct but because of his love, and that he has the power to create communities that are only possible because of his grace.

For decades, our congregations have found substantial ways to worship together, approach the Lord’s table together, serve together and be catalysts for transformation in our communities. We know what it means to seek healing and transformation in the presence of difference. We have something powerful to offer in this moment, and we have a unique understanding of how to pray for wellbeing. 

So in the next few months, we are inviting congregations across our Fellowship to pray for the wellbeing of our communities and our nation. We are calling for courageous prayer, that asks the Lord to reveal to us how we can be instruments of a healing that is desperately needed.  

As we enter this season of prayer, the petition attributed to St. Francis comes to mind: 

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: 
where there is hatred, let me sow love; 
where there is injury, pardon; 
where there is doubt, faith; 
where there is despair, hope; 
where there is darkness, light; 
where there is sadness, joy. 
 
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek 
to be consoled as to console, 
to be understood as to understand, 
to be loved as to love. 
For it is in giving that we receive, 
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, 
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. 

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Beginning October 15, you will see weekly postings on CBF’s social media that can be used personally or as a congregation to accompany you in this season of prayer. Each post will include a devotional thought from a local church leader or CBF staff member, a prayer practice in which you can engage, and an action step to enacting your prayers with neighbors. These posts will be weekly until inauguration day in January. You can follow along by liking our Facebook page or following us on Instagram.

We invite you to join us and hope you will share your engagement so that we can see a fuller picture of how prayer unites us as the Body of Christ.