‘Search me, God’ may be the most important prayer a ministry leader can pray.
I imagine that most, if not all, of those working or serving in ministry naturally assume that what they are working on is blessed by default, simply because it’s in a church or “for the Lord.”
Technicians and creatives can probably fall into that pattern sometimes too: any idea I have must surely be divinely inspired and blessed, anything I’m trying to accomplish will surely find favor because it’s being done for the right reasons, we’ll have what we need because we’re doing the Lord’s work and he won’t allow us to fail, etc.
Our private lives shape our public ministry more than we realize.
But what if those assumptions are wrong? What if the success of our ministry isn’t something we should take for granted, and what if a blessing of favor is something that we are actually preventing from arriving?
I was recently reading the book of Haggai (big shout-out to the Minor Prophets!), which is a short-two chapter account of the early stages of Israel rebuilding the temple after their exile.
The book is probably most well known for its repeated use of the phrase “give careful thought,” which is used five times in just 38 total verses, as the word of the Lord, through Haggai, implores the Israelites to be intentional in what they’re doing and to stop and think about their actions.
The reason why is noted in Haggai 2:11-14. The Lord asks if something holy and consecrated were to touch something unholy, would that second thing become consecrated by default? No, it would not.
Five times in just 38 verses, Haggai urges the people to ‘give careful thought.’
The Lord then asks if something unholy were to touch something consecrated, would the former item then defile the first? The answer was yes.
It’s a lesson the Israelites needed to learn, and it’s one we need to take to heart as well.
The nation had been lulled into thinking that just because they wanted to build something holy and special (the temple), they could continue living normal lives that didn’t carry a level of holiness and consecration that aligned with their task. In essence, their lack of purity in their daily lifestyle was defiling the holy, special thing they were trying to work on.
Because of that, the Lord noted in v.15-19 that the things they were trying to do were not fruitful and productive. They had created an obstacle for themselves.
I wonder if we sometimes do the same things in ministry without realizing it. We maybe think we can live one way during the week and then just blithely show up on Sunday assuming God’s presence will anoint the worship we lead or the service we produce or the content we create, almost like an obligation on His part.
Maybe things work sometimes, just due to God’s sovereignty, or maybe due to the fact that our natural skills are sufficient enough for the task.
Burnout is often a symptom of misalignment, not overcommitment.
While this should invite us all to reassess areas of our lives where we know we’re falling short due to sin (and thanks be to God for his neverending grace!), what about things that may not be so overt?
What if there are things that need to change in our attitude towards our coworkers or bosses, or even towards our spouse? What if I need to realign my priorities so I have a true Sabbath instead of trying to justify working every day because “ministry never stops”?
What if I need to be more intentional about the way I manage my body to optimize health, wellness, fitness, and energy? Or maybe it’s a better choice about what media I expose myself to, to ensure that I really am trying to build with pure hands and a pure heart?
For the things that don’t immediately come to light in our thoughts, the prayer of David in Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV) is perfect: Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Physically building something takes an intentional investment of time and energy. Building something spiritual requires the same.
The beginning of the new year is a perfect opportunity to step back and reassess where we need to be more intentional so we can, as Haggai states, “give careful thought” to our ways.
What would it look like if we made sure our lives really were in alignment with the level of consecration of the worship experience we’re trying to build?
Surely we’d experience a greater return with less labor, our teams would flourish, we’d be filled with supernaturally influenced ideas, and we’d have a bottomless reserve of energy and passion for what we’ve been called to do.
All because we’ve prioritized living our lives at a level worthy of that which we’re building and Who we’re building it for.
Doing so will open the door for the Lord to bestow his favor and blessing on all that we try to build, both at home and in ministry, when we ensure we have hands clean enough to use while we build.
