[1]As a young pastor in my first church, I was keenly aware my congregation had a lot of problems. It had suffered years of numerical decline, in no small part as a result of immorality among the pastoral staff and embezzlement by a church treasurer. People were disillusioned, cynical and defensive.
Though I had grown up in a pastor’s home and had earned two seminary degrees, I soon recognized the church required far more than my best. It needed God’s best.
But where to begin? Committees were languishing. Worship services had to be overhauled. Seemingly everyone required pastoral care. Everything felt overwhelming. My administrative assistant and I were the only staff.
But I jumped in with both feet. I desperately wanted God to heal and grow my congregation. In time, God helped me develop habits and rhythms that ultimately bore much fruit.
Time for everything God calls you to
I typically spent mornings in my church office praying and studying. At first, I would offer broad prayers for God to revive my people. After a while, God led me to systematically pray through the church directory.
One morning, I was praying for people whose names began with the letter J. Rather than telling God what to do, I held each church member up before the Lord and asked what was on His heart for that person.
Eventually, I came to the name of a young man whose wedding I had performed several months earlier. I sensed the Spirit leading me to write him a letter telling him God loved him and could be trusted to lead him into a wonderful future. I was in my office two days later when the phone rang.
“How did you know?” a voice asked.
“How did I know what?” I responded. It was the young man I had prayed for on Monday.
“How did you know I would lose my job this morning?” he asked. He was devastated. He had no idea how he would pay his bills. His wife was unemployed, and they had no savings. He had been laid off abruptly.
When he returned to his apartment after receiving the crushing news, he collected his mail. It contained a letter from his pastor assuring him that God loved him and had a wonderful plan for his life.
Perfect timing!
God taught me that if I built time into my schedule to hear from Him and respond to His promptings, my ministry would remain in sync with the work of the Holy Spirit. I didn’t have time to do everything the church needed, but I did have time to do everything God called me to do.
Healthy rhythms in life and ministry
Through the years, I’ve learned the importance of building godly habits. We all have habits. The question is whether they’re healthy and fruitful.
It’s easy to develop bad habits. I didn’t have to take a class on “How to Waste Time on Social Media” or “How to Stress Eat.” I have a natural aptitude for such behaviors. Developing healthy habits requires much more discipline.
There are many godly rhythms you can build into your life. Here are a few examples of healthy rhythms:
- Delay looking at social media or the news until after you’ve spent time studying your Bible.
- Post a memory verse on your bathroom mirror so you can fill your mind with Scripture while you get ready each morning.
- Thank God for His goodness to you while you make your morning coffee.
- Refrain from listening to the radio or podcasts during your morning commute, and use the time to pray and reflect instead.
- When you arrive at your office, ask God to prepare your heart and mind for the day ahead.
Developing healthy rhythms in your personal life is an important part of enjoying a fruitful ministry.
I found that my heart and mind were usually full when I arrived home from the office. My kids often wanted to shoot baskets or tell me about their day, but I struggled to take my mind off my work.
I learned to spend a minute in my car releasing my work concerns to God so I could be fully present with my family as soon as I walked through the door.
Leaving my phone in another room while eating dinner with my family or going for a walk with my wife helped me remain sensitive to those who mattered most.
Space to hear from God
Some people view routines and habits as stifling. I’ve found the opposite to be true. Building habits into my life ensures my priorities aren’t neglected.
I’ve also discovered that it’s easier to stack good habits onto pre-existing habits than to carve out entirely new spaces for them. For example, since I already jog in the morning, it’s easy to start praying for my family while I run.
The point isn’t to cram more activities into an already busy schedule. The goal is to create space to hear from God and recognize the Holy Spirit’s promptings.
You likely have more to do than you can accomplish each day. But if you’re intentional, you’ll discover that you always have sufficient time to complete the assignments God gives you.
Richard Blackaby is the president of Blackaby Ministries International and the author of over 40 books, including Experiencing God in Everyday Life: A Journey Toward Spiritual Maturity [2], which he wrote with his sons Mike and Daniel.
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