Make Prayer THE Priority

I recently heard a sermon from Dr. Jim Samra about the most important thing we can do . . . Pray! (You can check this link to hear the sermon - it just takes 26 minutes and 48 seconds to do so . . . you'll be glad you did!)

So, Dr. Samra said we need to do the most important thing . . . pray. Yes, teaching the Bible - giving information - is important, but the first thing we need to do is pray. Do you pray, really pray, before you do anything else in your ministry? It can be far too easy to just go about the work of the ministry and plan, organize, train, prepare, teach . . . all without really spending time in prayer. Consider the following ways to make prayer not just A top priority in your ministry, but THE top priority . . . 

• make prayer the first thing you do in your personal life before you begin to "work" on any part of ministry.
• recruit a team of "pray-ers" - people who will commit to pray regularly . . . and make it the priority for you to pray with them for your ministry, for the children and families in your ministry and for your volunteers
• always begin and end each and every meeting you have with prayer
• do as Dr. Samra mentioned . . . have a team of people who pray during Sunday School, Children's church, mid-week and any other ministry opportunity for "eyes to be opened"

If we are going to be genuinely effective in our ministry to children and families, we have to pray. So, pray. Don't just talk about praying, but really pray. Make this your prayer . . . 

"Dear God, on this day as I see the 'armies' which surround the children, families, volunteers in this church . . . and the armies which surround my own life, please help me to 'not be afraid'! Please 'open my eyes' so I am able to see, 'Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.' Please open the eyes of the children so they will see You! Please open the eyes of the families so they will see You! Please open the eyes of the volunteers so they will see You! Thank You, Amen!"