Daily Devotional

What do you do when you wake up with a feeling of anticipation that something important is going to happen today?  Fear and uneasiness seeps in.  Overwhelmed by the magnitude of unexplained change…the only thing to do is have a day of prayer.

This momentous experience happened in 1990. My husband, Jim was away at a Men’s Retreat.  Deciding to have a day of prayer was not a usual thing for me. Raising three young girls made the concept of a whole day of prayer daunting and maybe impossible. How do I homeschool the kids today? What about their meals? Surely there will be a few conflicts that need intervention. The driving force of my heart pushed me beyond those obstacles. I must pray all day! I remember gathering my girls together explaining my plan, and giving homework instructions. I asked them to help me stay focused on prayer and take care of each other today.

So, I began. I settled myself in my bedroom with my Bible. I began with a prayer to our mighty God and asked for His direction for my day. My routine was natural. I prayed, read the Bible, and had moments of quiet listening to the Holy Spirit’s direction. At noon I debated whether I should also fast from food, just as the kids proudly brought me a tray of “kid food.” So sweet! I guess fasting was not needed. All day the kids were angelic. The hours ticked by as my heart responded to the experience. Fear and uneasiness were banished. Instead, there seeped into my soul calm and peace.

At the end of the day, my husband returned from the Men’s Retreat. The purpose of my day of prayer became apparent when he announced that he was considering stepping down as the Senior Pastor to start a ministry to pastors and leaders.  He described to me how God moved him to find a private place to pray at the Men’s Retreat—a custodial closet. In that quiet place, God spoke to Jim’s heart about starting a new ministry—which later became known as JARON Ministries International.

I am like all women—I thrive on security. Being faced with this potential change would normally destroy my sense of security and cause fear and confusion to take over my thinking. But none of that happened. God had prepared me. I was at peace and ready to support my husband if he chose to take the brave step into the unknown future. Actually, the future was not unknown to God. It was His plan…He just did not give us a lot of notice. We were compelled to trust him for the details to come.

Our journey of discovery to start this new ministry began in 1990. Now in 2023 I look back with gratitude and wonder at all the works of God. Though small, JARON Ministries has ministered to pastors, missionaries, government leaders, para-church organization leaders, churches in crisis, scientists, police, politicians, and women’s ministry leaders.

God began this ministry by giving Jim and me a call to prayer. I have learned to listen to God when He calls me to prayer. A bit of preparation may be needed for my heart to accept a change God has planned.  

REFLECTIONS:

1. Prayer is our intimate connection with God. Allow Him to guide your thinking through prayer.
   
   
2. If you ever feel moved to pray. Do it! Whether it is a moment, an hour, or even a day of prayer. God may be preparing you for big changes in your life. Trust Him to bring you peace.

FOR PARENTS, TEACHERS AND GRANDPARENTS:

1. How do you teach your kids to love to pray? Pray with them. Share with them how prayer has impacted your life.
   
   
2. Give your kids suggestions about what to pray for and who to pray for.
   
   
3. Keep a list of answered prayers posted somewhere for your kids to rejoice with you over answered prayer.
   
   
4. Explain to your kids that sometimes God’s answer to their prayers might be “No” or “Wait.” Tell them that God knows what is best. His timing is always perfect.

New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation