Updated 1/15/15: Originally published in August 2012, this post was written during a time when our church was doing a 120-day prayer campaign. While the campaign has passed, committing to making prayer more of a focus is always relevant. Many of my friends have chosen a specific word for the year; why not pray that word back to God daily? Blessings, friends!
Our church recently launched a 120-day prayer initiative, designed to help us commit to a more focused, fervent prayer life. While we have launched other initiatives this past year, this is one that has really pulled at my heartstrings. Allow me to tell you why.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase, “What’s in the well comes up in the bucket.” As church leaders, we pour our lives into our the busyness of our ministries and the many, many details that come along with the job. Sometimes, in our efforts to serve the Lord, we can lose sight of our own walk with the Lord. We can push our own time with the Lord to the side to check our messages, search for that perfect craft, shop for supplies, attend countless meetings, etc. But that is extremely dangerous. Over time, without intentional care and nurturing, our spiritual wells end up empty.
Have you ever felt empty while serving? I sure have. Thankfully, I am now able to recognize when I need to take steps to get things back on track. This 120-day prayer couldn’t have come at a better time for me.
Our church provided ideas and resources for this campaign but God gave me a personal assignment. For the next 120 days, I will pray one word back to God each day. I will find a scripture that corresponds with that word and pray that back to God, too. Then I will identify ways that I need to trust God in that area. I am keeping these notes on index cards secured by a ring binder clip so that it is portable and easily accessible.
Let me share a synopsis of Day 1. Day 1’s word was “PEACE”. I meditated on Philippians 4:6-7, NLT: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all that he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” I jotted down specific ways that I needed God’s peace in my life.
I am excited about what lies ahead in the next 120 days and how God will transform my life as a result. I’ll keep you posted!
What about you? Tell me how you keep your well from drying out!
