This series of paintings by Zay Ziegler portrays some of the beautiful diversity of the people God created. Look carefully at each painting and allow yourself to feel any emotions they evoke. With visual art, emotion can be communicated through color palettes, lighting and textures as well as the content itself. In the case of these paintings, each subject is telling a story with their body language, their facial expressions, and even the background colors that provide their context.
First Timothy 2:1 encourages us to pray for everyone. It says:
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people”
When praying for International Workers or unreached people around the world, we are often praying for people we don’t know. Prayer, then, is often an act of empathy. In the same way that the artist who painted these portraits took great care to effectively portray the stories and emotional states of this diverse group of people, prayer often requires us to think and feel deeply for people with stories and situations that are unfamiliar to us as we intercede on their behalf.
The cards on the table near these paintings each have a description of an international worker. Pick up one of the post cards and spend some time praying empathetically for the person or people it describes. Imagine their stories and allow your heart to be affected by the Lord’s love for them as you pray.