PRAY IT! Joy to the Work - Week 2

This past Sunday Pastor Todd kicked off our Joy to the Work series discussing how we have the opportunity to view everything we do (our "work" - whatever it is that is occupying our time) as sacred.  Prior to the service, at our pre-service prayer time at 9:30am, I talked about how we all need to be paying attention and mighty in prayer.  This "little" sermon series has the opportunity to pack a punch if we take it to heart and let God transform us.  If we blink, we might miss it.  Our enemy certainly hopes we miss it.  But we shouldn't.  Consider this:  how might God transform people... entire cities, even... if His children approach everything they do as sacred?  This means 168 hours per week of God-honoring, God-led OPPORTUNITY rather than an hour or two of "sacred" and 167 hours of just trying to rally and survive until Sunday rolls around again.  I don't think that is what God intended for us. 

So, how should we pray in light of what's coming this Sunday?  If last Sunday was more focused on explanation and the why's and how's of thinking it's all sacred rather than this world view of division between the sacred and secular, this Sunday is all about the application!!!

Here comes the imagined inner voice monologue:

Okay - so you SAY it's all sacred... but what am I supposed to do if I hate my job?  Hate my boss?  Can't stand another day being a stay-at-home parent?  Am currently jobless?  Am currently working in something that yields no passion for me whatsoever?  Am currently loathing everything that is occupying my time?  Don't wanna hear that even cleaning my room is somehow sacred...  You say it's all sacred... but my employer missed that memo.  It's anything BUT sacred.  The guy driving erratically who then flipped me off in front of my children... he didn't get that memo either.  It's one thing to say it's all sacred.  And even to believe it.  But it's an entirely different ballgame when you're supposed to put it into practice in "the real world".

So... what then?

Thankfully, we can do what we know to do when faced with feeling overwhelmed by ick and unable to clearly see the next step we are to take.  We can look to God and see what we can glean about how He worked/works.  And this is where we're headed for Sunday.  And even as I write this Wednesday night - tired and downtrodden from a long day of work, I can tell you, I'm still excited.  Because there's something to it.  I could elaborate but I'll wait. 

Here's the thing... what good am I going to accomplish for God if I walk around miserable 167 hours out of the week?  If I HATE Monday and let everyone know it?  Am I all that effective with my long face and slouch of defeat as I say feebly "but Jesus is really awesome and you should give Him a try"???  Yeah.  Not so much.  But what if God can, with just a little perspective change, help jump start some joy into our lives?  Things.  Just.  Might.  Get.  Interesting.

So what do we do?  We pray.  We pray, we pray, and we pray.  For God to change our hearts and then to change our actions.  What good is just thinking about it if we don't have some measure of change?  Let's focus our prayers this week for God to reveal to us some tidbit regarding how HE works that we can then apply to how WE work.  It just might make all the difference.

PLEASE COME SUNDAY!!!  The journey is so much more enjoyable when we all take crazy-fun-scary next steps TOGETHER as a team instead of alone, by ourselves. 


Dear God,

Please open my eyes to seeing myself and my work differently.  Please help me to consider how you work when I approach my work (whatever may be occupying my time), and continue to help me see how it is all sacred.  Please get us all to church on Sunday!

Amen.

Join us tonight at our PoC Prayer Service - 7pm - the prayer focus is on healing and restoration.  It is a simple, yet powerful time with the Holy Spirit and fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Pastor Celia