On the first day, I was reading Acts 1-3 and was struck by Acts 1:14 which states that “they all joined together constantly in prayer.” Jesus ascended, and they began (or continued?) meeting together and praying. I am convinced that it is God's will for our church to be constantly in prayer.

Second Peter says that He has given us everything we need for life and godliness. Through His promises, we can participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. He lists 8 qualities that we need to develop and increase: faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love. If these characteristics are increasing, we will not be ineffective and unproductive. I believe it is God's will for the body of Christ at our church to be effective and productive, as we strive to become more like Him.

(I spent a significant portion of the 40 days studying healing, but those conclusions will have to be covered separately.)

As I was reading John Piper's Hunger for God, I was convicted that we are much too satisfied by the world to truly have a deep hunger for God. Piper says that “if you don't feel strong desires for... God... it is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world". I am convinced that it is God's will for us to feast on God and not get our satisfaction from the world, which can never truly satisfy anyway. As I studied further, I found in Colossians that we ask God to fill us with the knowledge of His will so that we may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way. I believe it is God's will for us to surrender every area of our lives (and church) to Him so that we please Him in every way.

While I believe that our church has changed so much in the past few years, I was convicted by Hebrews 13:17. “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” I do not believe that we obey our pastor as this verse commands. He has to finesse us. We will follow him to a point, but we do not honor and respect him in the way that this verse assumes. I would say that the unspoken paradigm assumes that our pastor is to obey “the will of the people.” I don't think we would be willing as a body to admit this-- I think we would say that the pastor should obey the will of God and lead us accordingly. But I think we would bristle at the idea of obeying him. Perhaps we would justify it by saying that not every pastor is a Godly man that we should blindly follow, particularly in light of some of our church's past experiences. But our pastor has proven himself to be a man of integrity and a servant of God and he has earned our trust and our respect. And, according to the writer of Hebrews, our obedience.

As I neared the end of the forty days, I began to review the notes I had made. I was frankly disappointed that it was all “just” Scriptural principles. I don't mean to belittle the Word of God; it was just that I had hoped for more something more practical and more specific such as “make an ark out of gopher wood and make it 300 cubits long and 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high.” As our pastor preached on hearing the Voice of God last Sunday, I asked God to show me something He wanted me to do. I was excited about the spiritual principles God had revealed, but I desired for more direction, not only for the church but for me personally.

On the 39^th day, I got my ark, so to speak. My conversation with a friend  convinced me that it is God's will for us to start a Sunday school for young adults. We have 4-6 couples with young children who are not currently in Sunday school. We can offer a parenting class and not only influence the parents for the kingdom, but also impact the next generation.

I didn't bring any preconceived notions into this 40 days of prayer. I was excited that we would all be seeking God together and asking Him to reveal His will to us. I believe that God doesn't hide His will from us and make us break the code in order to discover it. I just think we have to slow down and listen to what He is saying. I believe that He desires to make His will known to us, and I am excited to hear what others have discerned.

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