Pray

Early in my ministry I heard several older and effective ministers say that it was essential that you don’t just study to prepare sermons. The point I think was to make sure you were growing spiritually and allowing the Word of God to nurture your faith and grow your soul. My challenge was (and still can be) while studying for my own growth, I would be certain to find something that sparked a sermon or a lesson I wanted to teach. I would feel like a failure.   

The longer I have done this the more I understand. Here’s the point: If you are not feeding your own soul with the spiritual power that comes only from the Word of God (Romans 10:13) then you will eventually die spiritually. Yes, you may still be a sermon factory, you may still find little morsels that bless others, but you will dry up and die. 

What is true about your study is also true about other areas of your spiritual life. Take for instance your communication with God via prayer. For an active minister prayer can be reduced to a promise to do it for others. As in “yes, I’ll pray for you.” It can become nothing more than an integrity hot-line. As in, “there’s Bob, I know he’s been struggling. ‘God, bless Bod.’ Hey, Bob, you’ve been in my prayers.” 

What I want to say to you as tonight turns into tomorrow, as another Sunday, becomes another Monday is Pray. The blessings you seek for others are for you too, the answers you need, the promises you extol, the Ear you desire, the comfort you must have - it is all as much for you our brother as for those for whom you are praying. Don’t filter down your personal prayers to nothing more than a list, or a request for others. Pray. Pray for your own life, pray for your family, pray for your personal struggles, pray for your needs, pray. Enter the closest of your soul and seek God in prayer. Find There His comfort, His love, His reassurance of care, His power over your problems, His might over your anxieties. Pray, find Him. Pray, for therein you will find your will to move forward. Pray, if your ministry is to endure and thrive it will be on the wings of prayer. Pray, ti will help to not to quit. Pray.