Prayer For the Future
Today I was catching up on some ministry podcasts I have wanted to listen to. One of them was an interview with a missionary currently serving in Taiwan. He had spent a lot of his ministry serving in a variety of countries throughout Asia and he had some interesting insights on the differences between Eastern and Western Christianity.
One of these observations was both helpful and convicting and I’d like to share it with you. He shared that in his experience, when a church in an Asian country faces a challenge and needs to make decisions, they will hunker down and start praying. He observed that these churches will pray for hours and maybe at the end spend a few minutes asking one another if the Lord revealed any insights or solutions. He compared this to the Christian Church in America, who gather for scheduled meetings and spend 2-3 minutes in prayer before they start.
I begin laughing when I heard this, because I’d never thought about it this way. But it’s sort of true. As American Christians, when we face a problem or there is work to be done, we ask the Lord’s blessing briefly in prayer and then we get to work. To be honest, I kind of like this “Git-R-Done” spirit of American Christianity. But if we are honest with one another, often we just jump into the work and forget to even ask the Lord for guidance and providence.
I believe this is a timely reminder for us here at Peace. One thing I’ve learned about our church is that we are squarely in a time of transition and a new Senior Pastor is just the beginning. In the next few years, 6-7 of our Ministry Staff members plan on retiring. Which means we will be calling/hiring new staff members. But for what ministry? Are we calling/hiring them to do what we’ve been doing the last 25 years or does the Lord have something different in mind for Peace Lutheran Church’s ministry in Jefferson County, CO.
And then there are Peace’s facilities. They are such a blessing to ministry, but the newest part of our facility is approaching 20 years of age, and we are already dealing with significant issues that will need to be addressed.
And who will we be reaching out to? The demographic of our neighborhood continues to shift, and the average member doesn’t necessarily reflect our immediate neighborhood. But we do reflect the average demographic of Jefferson County. Which makes sense, because our membership is spread out 25 miles in every direction, truly making us a regional church.
With all this uncertainty and future decisions to be made, the questions is what should we be doing right now? What is the Lord’s will for us?
We are going to jump into these challenges in the next few months, but before we do, let’s stop and pray. This is what Jesus teaches us to do in every circumstance and every need.
In Luke 11:9-13 He promises, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”
Paul reminds us of this same truth in Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Times of transition can be difficult, filled with anxiety and frustration. That’s why it is said, “Change is hard.” And very few people are comfortable with walking forward without any idea of where they are being led. And yet this is how it is for us here at Peace. We will step forward in faith asking the Lord to make straight our paths, so as many people as possible may know the love of Jesus.
So please join me in prayer. Pray for the Lord’s guidance and providence. Pray He gives our church excitement and direction for the future. Pray He protects us from division and conflict, providing instead unity and grace for the work ahead. Give thanks for what He is doing through our Year Long focus on Mission and the Guatemala Mission Trip. Pray He makes clear the paths we should follow moving forward. And finally pray for your leaders. Ask the Lord to give them wisdom and guidance.
Please pray a lot and when you’re done, pray some more.
In His Grip,
Pastor Guy Roberts
