Habakkuk 3:2b, “O LORD, revive thy work in the midst of the years”
Praise God it is 2021! 2020 is over. Now the memes and the jokes wont stop for years to come and the COVID complaints are likely to get worse this Spring… but I for one am ready to get past all this. During all of this mess, I have spoke with many Pastors and YPs who were at a loss for what to do to move forward or even just maintain. While I don’t have the cure for COVID or even the vaccine… I do know a prayer answering God who wants to hear from us. So, here are some things can we pray about in 2021.
1. Unity
Don’t turn me off just yet… Many pastors and YPs can attest that 2020 was a no win situation. No matter how things were handled, no matter who was or wasn’t there, 2020 has been a time of stress. Stress resulting in much disunity and bickering. Masks or no masks? Gather or not gather? Ministry or no ministry? Social distance or not? Meanwhile, teens who came to church, got to be a part in whatever youth ministry the Pastor would allow. However, those who didn’t began to feel unwanted, unappreciated, unfairly treated… and some voiced this to others. Many were hurt by the pandemic of gossip, which has many more casualties in the church than COVID.
Let’s pray for Unity in our youth departments, churches, homes and country.
2. Community
It was a blessing to see pictures and to read of all of the creative ways that Pastors and YPs were coming up with to continue to spread the gospel during 2020. From letters and flyers to door-bags and livestream, the renewed conviction to witness was a blessing. I guess the old adage, “You don’t know what you got until its gone” is a true one. When you minimize soul winning, jail ministry, nursing homes, hospitals and the bus ministry the need is maximized. Our community is not a goofy coincidence, it is a great commission.
Let’s pray for the Community in which our youth departments get to spread the gospel and love of Jesus Christ.
3. Immunity
Very few of us really expected the pandemic to last this long at this level of intensity. I thought like the President that it would be over before summer… But 2020 and COVID have taken their toll on our health, on our emotions, on our marriages and families, on our businesses, on our churches, on our youth groups and on our teens. If you are like us, you know someone or have someone in the church that has been sick or maybe even passed away from COVID. 2020 has seen the church change so much. Some older members are not coming anymore. Some younger ones are scared. Teenagers are at home all day without supervision, supposedly schooling…
Let’s pray for Immunity. That the Virus is cured, contained and conquered soon.
4. Opportunity
We must take the creativity and challenge we have faced in 2020 into a new 2021. We must realize the urgency of the moment. If church and youth departments come back “Business as usual” the result will be decline or even death of the youth department. We must utilize the tools God has given us to reach out to so many. Email, Social Media, Group Texting, Zoom Activities along with the usual meetings and ministries. We cannot quit the extra forms of ministering because the old ones are available again. Instead we must seize the opportunity to do more than ever before to be a part of the lives of those teenagers.
Let’s pray for Opportunity. May we be apt to teach and able to learn how to do the most in new year.
5. Importunity
Seeing soul winning and service opportunities diminish was sad. However, removing ministry to others revealed a huge deficit in our ministry to ourselves. Many were relying on the feelings of the flesh that come from serving to survive spiritually. A sick spirit with little to no walk with God, Bible reading and prayer time was being hid by a functioning flesh. Those who measured themselves with men’s applause were broken. While we missed many ministries, many found their way back to the Bible and prayer. How refreshing it was to read through the New Testament and several other books of the Bible and pray in a 30 day prayer meeting with our teens in 2020 to feed that spiritual man. We must have a walk with God if we are to do a work for God.
Let’s pray for Importunity. May we seek God first as we attempt to serve others.
Hey friend. Don’t feel bad. I’m right there with you. I fell into a COVID Covering a few times myself. But prayer pulled me out. Let’s add these to our prayer lists. Unity, Community, Immunity, Opportunity, and Importunity.
William Davis | Assistant Pastor
Clays Mill Baptist Church | Nicholasville, KY
https://www.claysmill.org