In late March after the WHO labeled Covid-19 a worldwide pandemic I began to hear the Lord speaking, “consider your ways”. I knew it was a bible verse, but I couldn’t recall the reference. I searched and found the familiar passage in Haggai 1:5, 7. I knew that it was a word for this “Covid-19” season but I didn’t know the specific application (whether for our spiritual family or me personally). I decided to sit on it and allow the Lord to clarify it to me. 

At the same time, in light of the pandemic, I was also considering the passages from Haggai 2:6-7, 21-22 where the Lord says, “I will shake everything that can be shaken.” I believe the Covid-19 pandemic is a part of this promised worldwide shaking.

Over the next few weeks as I revisited Haggai 1 and processed it with a few friends and ministry leaders I began to sense that, “consider your ways” was specifically for those God has called to the prayer movement over the last few decades.

Haggai’s History

In Haggai’s day the people of God returned from captivity in Babylon to rebuild the Lord’s temple, i.e. the house of prayer. The people had begun to build and lay the foundation but after sometime they quit building and became busy with building their own livelihood instead of the Lord’s house. As a result, after laying the foundation, they had not moved the building project forward for sixteen years. Now the Lord was calling them back to the work of building the Lord’s house. 

I believe that right now the Lord is calling many people back to the work of building the house of prayer. Perhaps you spent some time serving in a house of prayer and for some reason over the years you got derailed and left the prayer room. It could be that you got offended, you lost interest, or the difficulty of grinding away in daily prayer without much to show for it became too great a burden to bear. Whatever the case, I believe the Lord is tenderly inviting you right now to “consider your ways”.  

In Haggai’s day the people experienced difficulty making life work. The Lord explained why, “You have sown much and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes. Thus says the LORD of hosts: "Consider your ways!…"You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why?" says the LORD of hosts. “Because of My house that is in ruins, while every one of you runs to his own house." (Hag 1:6-7, 9)

The Invitation

I sense the Lord’s tender leadership inviting you to come out of the difficulties of the last years and return to building His house of prayer. Many people who are called to the prayer movement, to spend their days in worship and adoration with fasting and prayer before the Lord, have taken the “exit ramp” and now have found themselves struggling to make life work. The reason is because God has called you to stand and serve before Him as a minister in the house and no other pursuit will work or satisfy. Just as in Haggai’s day, God is the one who has caused it to be challenging in order to bring you back to His desire and plan for you. 

This current global reset has particular implications for the prayer movement across the earth. It’s not only those who once served in the prayer movement that God is addressing. He is inviting all of us to consider our ways, to make sure we are faithfully building His house from the place of sitting at His feet. 

There are three groups I feel like the Lord is specifically addressing right now: (and full disclosure, I personally do not feel exempt)

 1)    The group that is currently serving in the prayer and worship movement. This includes those who are leaders, staff members, or volunteers in prayer and worship-centered ministries. I feel the Lord’s invitation to take inventory of how we live and how we are tending the corporate place of worship and prayer. In Revelation 3:1, Jesus corrects the church of Sardis by stating, “You have a name that you’re alive, but you’re dead on the inside.” On the other hand, through Ezekiel the Lord affirms the sons of Zadok for “keeping charge of the sanctuary when Israel went astray” (Ezekiel 44:15, 48:11). 

This is a moment for us to consider our ways. Do we look more like Sardis or do we look more like the sons of Zadok? I’m not standing as a judge over anyone. I’m taking inventory of my own heart through these days, asking the Lord to be strong in the face of my own weaknesses. I’m also asking the hard questions about our apparent lack of power and the limit of our effectiveness. I need the Lord to grip my heart with spiritual hunger to compel me to focused pursuit. 

For those who have been faithfully serving without distraction, I commend you! For those who need to shore up areas of weakness and distraction, I’m right there with you. Let’s turn away from anything that is inhibiting us from undistracted devotion to the Lord and go for this in the grace of God.

2)    The group that once served the Lord in the place of prayer and because of a variety of difficulties has now left for other pursuits. I want to be clear that some who have served in the house of prayer have legitimately been called to other fields and have kept living by the values they received. I’m grateful for you. There are others who, for whatever reason, took the “exit ramp” on serving the Lord in worship and prayer when the Lord was not calling you away. Some of you went through extreme difficulties financially, relationally, and spiritually. You know the Lord called you to the place of worship and prayer, yet it did not end up the way you thought. Disillusionment came in and you had to make a hard choice in the midst of pain and confusion. You may have had extremely difficult times financially. If God called you to serve in the house, why didn’t He provide? Many experienced difficult encounters with leadership. I’m personally painfully aware that leaders are not exempt from making mistakes that hurt people. Though I’ve learned the hard way that when I make a mistake the best thing I can do is honestly repent and openly apologize I am aware it doesn’t undo the mistake. It does however help those who I serve to realize my own fallibility and the necessity of trusting the Lord’s leadership in all things. The hard truth is that when a leader makes a mistake it can impact us deeply and be extremely difficult to overcome. At the same time, the Lord uses leader's weaknesses as a means to strengthen our own heart in grace if we allow the trial to have it’s full work in us (Song 5:7-8, James 1:2-4). If you’re one who took the “exit ramp”, He’s tenderly calling you back right now. He’s inviting you to step back into that place of serving in His presence as a priest in the house of the Lord. 

3)    The group that has yet to say ‘yes’ to serving the Lord in worship and prayer but you’ve sensed the Lord’s direction and leadership in this for some time. Because of circumstances you’ve been unable to see how it could work for you to serve the Lord in this way. God is changing things right now! He’s changing the way the church will look and the way society will operate in the days ahead. This is a moment He is calling you to “consider your ways” and follow His leadership into serving Him in worship and prayer. It may mean getting a rhythm where you volunteer in a worship and prayer room several times a week. For others you know it’s a call into full-time ministry with worship and prayer as your main focus. However it looks for you, I believe the Lord is encouraging you to boldly follow His leadership at this time.

This pandemic has been a wake up call to the whole church and especially the prayer movement. As society begins to re-open and return to “normal” the alarm will quit sounding for a moment. This is not a moment to press “snooze” it is a moment to respond to the Lord. I believe the Lord is inviting us to all take inventory, to consider our ways, and to respond to His leadership. There has never been a better time to seek the Lord while He may be found, to call upon Him while He is near. If you have found yourself out of the prayer movement but you know that God has called you to serve Him in worship and prayer, I encourage you strongly to make whatever changes necessary to find yourself stewarding that calling with faithfulness. If you are currently serving the Lord in worship and prayer, perhaps you’re a volunteer, a staff member, or a leader, I want to kindly, but boldly, ask you to consider your ways. Be honest about your weaknesses. Ask the Lord to help you in those areas. And where there are areas of compromise in your life turn away from them and turn back to the Lord in abandoned devotion. Let’s be like the sons of Zadok of old, who were commended for keeping charge of the sanctuary.

God’s grace is enough and is the only means by which we will be able to fulfill His destiny for our lives. The Lord is going to fill the earth with night and day worship and prayer to prepare the earth for the great harvest and the great drama of the end of the age. Jesus’ name will be great from the rising of the sun to it’s going down. The greatest hour for the church and the global prayer movement is just ahead. This is the hour to engage with Him in His purposes and plans. 

Lord, I pray that as you invite us all to consider our ways that we will respond to your grace accordingly. Raise up your house of prayer and cause Jesus’ name to be glorious across the nations. Thank you for your leadership and grace, in Jesus’ name.