21 Days of Impactful Prayer: Day 10

As we begin the new year, Converge churches and missionaries from around the globe will embark on 21 Days of Prayer. Join us on this prayer journey by reading the daily entries on Converge’s blog, or by downloading your free 21 Days of Impactful Prayer: Moving Forward guide. In addition, you can share daily posts from our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds. Thank you for joining us as we open 2021 in prayer together.

Day 10: Pray for Healthy Systems

... being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6).

Reflections

What is the church’s purpose? What is our church’s calling? These are questions we should be asking all the time. If we are truly honest, we really don’t ask. We had our programs and systems we had convinced ourselves were nonnegotiable. They were simply a given. Then the year 2020 flipped the tables on us. Our Sunday gatherings came to a halt. Many of our cherished ministries also came to a halt. The unimaginable happened, yet surprisingly, most churches will come through these challenges fine.

Perhaps this season was a gift? Perhaps as we are putting the pieces back together, it’s time to reexamine ministries and systems and ask, “Is each really necessary?” What have we learned during this difficult season? Again, what is the church’s purpose? What is OUR church’s calling?

Challenge

Have we turned some programs once meant for good into something sacred? It is time to really reexamine why we exist as a church and if each ministry truly supports our calling. Is it scary to take an honest look at what was once so familiar and seemingly sacred and to decide if it truly is holding up to God’s word? Absolutely! Let us not forget, though, that “being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

Prayer

Holy Father, forgive us for taking good ministries you gave us and making them sacred and untouchable. The only thing sacred is you and your word. Help us to reexamine all the parts of our church to see if they truly are the best system to live out our calling. Thank you for the gift of changing times, which help us to realize the only thing consistent and unchanging is you. Remind us that everything else should be regularly examined to determine if it is truly in alignment with your calling for us.