Years ago, I prayed a prayer – actually, I prayed this prayer more than once – I prayed it for years. It was a situation that seemed utterly dire that I was praying for God to turn around or revive. I can remember days of being on my knees crying out to God to bring the valley of dry bones to life.

That prayer didn’t turn out the way I imagined – actually the opposite of what I hoped for.

But another kind of miracle happened in my heart. It took me another two years to recognize the Spirit of God that was working in ways I could not see. It took me years of reflection to understand that although it wasn’t the plans I had hoped for, God had good plans for me, and those plans – turns out – are good. Really good.

And as God’s good plans continue to roll out, I can’t help but notice the miracles that God did in my life. It’s the miracle of learning how to rely on Jesus in ways that I don’t think I had learned before. It’s the miracle of a greater sense of humility that God has grown in me. It’s the miracle of greater capacity in being grounded in truth. It’s the miracle of learning that God has good plans for me even when I don’t see it.

This is why we pray. 

Prayer isn’t a lever we pull to convince God to do exactly what we hope for. Prayer is a dance of intimacy with God, it’s a two-way relationship where we speak to one another, share dreams with one another – and as we do, God grows us, shapes us, and forms us.

This is why we pray.

I have been doing a lot of praying for us. Last Sunday, I rolled out some of my early ideas for the mission and vision for the next year. As I shared last week, we still have a lot of dreaming and planning to do. And more than anything, I believe that as we pray, God will keep shaping and forming our ideas, hopes, and dreams, and link them to his hopes and ideas and dreams. 

When I came on board nearly two months ago, I rolled out our 90-Day Prayer Challenge. This prayer is meant to shape us as a congregation in such a way that we would experience the miracle of transformation in our hearts and new dreams in our minds. I believe that we will discover that God has good plans for us. Next Sunday night, I hope that you will join us for the first of our Summer Worship and Prayer Nights. We will gather in the Worship Center for acoustic worship and corporate prayer. Our first gathering will be on Sunday, May 21st from 5:30pm – 7:00pm, and then mark your calendars for Sunday, June 25th from 5:00pm – 7:00pm for our second worship night.

This Sunday, I have so much excitement over the message that God has laid on my heart. I am looking forward to preaching again in all 4 of our worship services. See you Sunday!

From my heart,

Pastor Tara Beth