Each month my teammate and I set aside time to “prayerfully wander” the streets of Paris, lifting up the needs of the city as we walk by them. Paris, as you can imagine, is a beautiful city to walk in, with stunning architecture and ancient monuments everywhere. But it is also a city full of brokenness, and when you look for it you find evidence all over of a city with only an estimated 2% of the population following Christ. Living here day in and day out it can be easy to overlook both the beauty and the brokenness. This is why we carve out time each month to walk open-eyed in this city, concentrating on a particular area within the city.
It’s mid-January and we launch out from my neighborhood with our destination, Stalingrad, in mind. We walk slowly, side by side, praying as we feel led. Our minds and our eyes are tuned into our context, using the things we observe as inspiration for our prayers.
Joining up with the metro line 2, we follow along in its tracks, admiring the graffiti, street art, and colors of Paris. As we pass clusters of men who have immigrated from various Muslim-background countries, we begin praying that God will bring about transformation in men among these male-dominated cultures. We pray that God redeems these cultures and that these men will come to know Him, leading their families and ultimately their cultures in a Christ-honoring way.
We also pray for the Christ-followers who belong to these cultures. They are not numerous, but we know they exist and are scattered throughout the region of Paris. We ask the Lord to give them courage to be bold witnesses, to stand strong amidst persecution and social pressure, and for the Lord to use them as a means to spread His Gospel among these immigrant populations.
As we reflect on the number of refugees in this city — most of whom are young men — and as we observe the multitude of men who have immigrated from various parts of the world, we ask the Lord to raise up more men to serve here! We recognize the need for Christian men to connect with these male populations, unafraid to love them where they are at, as Christ does.
Stopping and admiring the architecture of one of the few above-ground metro lines, we hear shouts and cries behind us. We have just walked in front of a local park with a reputation for drug deals, and the cries behind us sound as if they are coming from someone suffering from a drug addiction. We begin praying for those who are enslaved by drugs, alcohol, or other addictions. We ask the Lord to bring healing and freedom to the captives. We pray that these people not only be freed of these chains, but that they find ultimate freedom in Christ.
Moving on toward our final destination, we become aware that we have stumbled upon a local community of Comorians. The islands of Comoros off the coast of Africa near Madagascar are 98% Muslim and an extremely hard-to-reach people group. We pray that God breaks down barriers among Comorians, establishing his church among hard soil. Paris is home to so many diverse cultures, many of whom come from closed and hard-to-reach countries. We pray that God raises up more laborers to serve in this city to reach all these various people groups! We pray for those already here serving among them, that God works through them to bear fruit for His kingdom.
Approaching the busy intersection at Stalingrad, dodging cars, bikes, and mopeds, we are yet again aware of the diversity of this city and the many needs. We watch the young men, most likely refugees who have fled their war-torn countries, position their sleeping bags over the underground metro grates in an attempt to find warmth in the freezing January temperatures. We praise the Lord that He sees each soul and every injustice, and that He is at work even when we don’t see it.
Finally we reach our destination at Stalingrad, ending our walk at the Canal Saint Martin, a crossroads of young hipsters, poverty, homelessness, trendy cafes, drug abuse, and immigration. We are thankful for this reminder of both the beauty and brokenness of Paris. We recognize even more the need for more laborers to take the Gospel to all corners of this city and society. Turning our heads to the right and to the left we are yet again struck by all the men here, reinforcing that particular need. We again ask God to raise up men who can build relationships with men in Paris, faithfully preach the Word, and be salt and light!
“Trust!”
Will you join us in praying for Paris and all these needs? Will you pray that God raises up more laborers for His harvest field in France?