Invocation is a new monthly feature at Million Praying Moms for the purpose of starting each month with a prayerful focus. In case you aren’t familiar with the term, an “invocation” is simply a prayer that introduces something…most often a sermon, or beginning of some kind of service. My husband and I had an invocation at the beginning of our wedding ceremony. On the first of each month, I’ll send out an Invocation Email that shares the verse I’m most excited to pray in the upcoming month, events at Million Praying Moms you won’t want to miss, and other items you’ll find interesting. I’ll then point you back to the MPM website, where my friend Rachel Wojo will share a devotion and that month’s Invocational Prayer. If you don’t know Rachel, you’re missing out. I hope you’ll sign up here to make sure you get the Invocation email every month, and take the time to get to know her better! To see the April Invocation email, click here.
💚 Brooke
(And now, Rachel…)
Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:14
Have you ever heard the expression, “Whatever you pray for, don’t pray for patience!” I think my mom may have told me that once or twice when she juggled a houseful of teenagers, myself included. Of course, she was joking—sort of.
Does your mama’s heart ever feel the pain of the maturity process? I mean, don’t we all wish God would hurry up and answer our prayers, especially for our children? Dictionary.com defines the word mature as “1. Complete in natural growth or development. 2. Ripe, like fruit.” When fruit is ripe, it has reached a premium point of taste. It’s not too sour and not too sweet. It’s beautiful and balanced. At the exact right time, it’s ready to fulfill its purpose. But before the moment of completion arrived? There was a process, a development that occurred step-by-step.
Last week I came across a beautiful time lapse video. It began with placing a bulb in the ground and moving through every stage, from growing roots to peeking through the ground, then developing leaves. The buds formed and ultimately the flower petals bloomed. From seed to perfect blooms didn’t happen overnight. It took 83 days. Almost a full season of the year.
No one stood over it and said, “I wish you would hurry up and bloom already.”
As we approach the upcoming season of fresh growth emerging outdoors, my prayer for the Million Praying Moms community is that the Lord would help us embrace the process of growth. Like the time lapse I watched from seed to flower, may each stage bring wonder and awe of how God works and what He is doing in our lives and the lives of our families.
Paul gave us a few words to help us learn to embrace the process of maturing in Christ and enjoy the beauty unfolding before our very eyes. Let’s break it down together.
Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:14
Father, place loving words of truth in my heart and mouth.
“speaking the truth in love, we will grow….”
It’s easy to let words slip out without filtering them through love first. The whirlwind of life can rush us, and in those hurried moments, if love is not the foundation of our hearts, then our mouths can also rush ahead. It’s in these moments that we think we are accelerating growth that we are often deterring it instead.
Lord, give me eyes that see as You see and ears that listen as You do.
“to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.”
Did you know that the very name Christian means “little Christ?” When we strive to have the mind of Christ, we will think as He does. I can’t think of any moment in the Bible where it says that Jesus hurried. The only time I believe he told someone to hurry is when he encouraged Zacchaeus to come down out of the tree. He was calling Zacchaeus toward hope. But after he hurried him out of the tree? He went to his house and enjoyed a meal with him. When we see others as Jesus sees them and hear the cries of their hearts as he does, we can have the wisdom to hurry them towards hope. We then can enjoy the honor of walking with them toward the fruits of hope.
Father, be what holds my heart, family, and community together.
“From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament,”
If there was ever a moment in my life when I knew that Jesus is all the world needs, it is now. I am fervently praying for a revival, a swift turning of hearts to the God who created each of us. Will you join me in this specific portion of the prayer? Lord, band the hearts of Your believers together.
While the focus of our prayer this month is on embracing the process of maturity, this portion of Paul’s explanation of the body of Christ compels me to ask for guidance and unity because maturity, the peak of growth, means supporting one another.
God, help me to embrace the building process to fulfill Your purpose and plan.
“grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
It’s easy to get wrapped up in someone else’s part, am I right? We scroll through our social media feeds and the enemy throws in thoughts of comparison. We compare our start to someone else’s finish. Every purpose and plan requires a process. Rather than waste time on the comparison game, let’s examine our foundation, our structure, the soil we’re planting in and make sure that individually we are doing what God has called us to do.
“So then we pursue the things which make for peace and the building up of one another.” Romans 14:19
Thanks for sticking with me! Let’s wrap it up.
A PRAYER TO EMBRACE THE PROCESS
Lord, it’s easy to wish maturity didn’t take so much time. I long for the words flowing from my mouth to reflect a heart filled with Your love. Give me Your eyes, Jesus. Lean my ear towards the one who needs to be heard; let validation and affirmation be the love language that flows from my lips. God, I need You, my family needs You, and my community needs You. Lord, band my heart with others who long to serve Your kingdom. When the process seems long, give me fresh grace to embrace all that You have for me at the moment. May my heart be tuned to Your purpose and plan in every season. Amen.
