If you are like me, you suddenly find yourself with lots of time on your hands, and very few places to (ethically) go.  Three weeks ago, when we realized that we were going to have to stay away from others and be inside our homes for a while….my first thought was, “I want to make this time count.”  When I look back on this pandemic in a year, or five years, or ten, I want to be able to tell the story of how this time was well-spent.  

Maybe you’ve had that same burden?  If so, then one of the best ways we can use this time is to spend it in the worthy endeavor of becoming more like our friend, Jesus.  And the best way I know to do that is to spend time with him.  Prayer--whether you are talking to God or listening to Him--opens the pathways for us to be made more into His likeness.  

At New Anthem, we are joining what so many around the country are doing--and spending considerable time praying--for healing, for provision, and for an awakening of God’s Spirit among us.   This excerpt, from “A Liturgy for those Flooded by Too Much Information” (Douglas McKelvey in his book, “Every Moment Holy”), gives words to what many of us may be feeling:

“Give us discernment in the face 

of troubling news reports. 

Give us discernment to know 

when to pray, 

when to speak out, 

when to act, 

and when to simply shut off our screens 

and our devices, 

and to sit quietly in your presence, 

casting the burdens of this world 

upon the strong shoulders of the one 

who alone 

is able to bear them up.

Amen”

We have likely spent time mourning what’s been lost, tuning in to what’s going on around our country and world, and creating a new normal.  And today we can decide to spend time in prayer.

There are many ways you can join us!  We’ve linked three of them below.  

1. Download the 7 Days of Prayer card from Lifeway. It leads us to pray for the sick, for medical workers, for the vulnerable, and many others who are directly affected by this pandemic.
2. Visit www.unite714.com and sign up to pray twice a day at 7:14 (morning and night).  Check out their resources, too!
3. Sign up for a time slot on New Anthem Church’s Fifteen-Minute Fridays. Fifteen-Minute Fridays is our commitment as a church to spend time praying for healing and restoration. Our goal is to have someone from our church family praying at any moment during the 12 hours from 7:14am to 7:14pm (based on the Unite714.com challenge). 

Thank you for considering taking this time with Christ!