“Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24
It feels right that graduation season happens here in the beginning of the summer – when crops have been planted, the trees have all their leaves back, and we have more hours of sunshine to enjoy. Creation is in its season of growth here in the Northern Hemisphere, and the warm weather is a time of fellowship and outings with loved ones. To me, it feels like a season of possibility.
For new graduates, this season of possibility can have undercurrents of uncertainty. Will they make new friends where they are going? Will they find a job? Will this new skill give them the tools to provide for their family? Whether it is a kindergarten graduation, high school, technical school, university, seminary, or any other program of preparation, we as Christians can put our trust, and more importantly our hope, in God. Even if the Lord is not quick to provide answers to the big questions that graduates face, there is the living hope that God is our Provider and the Author of our Days.
As the Author of our Days, the Lord uses every thread in our lives to build the path He has planned, and oftentimes, uses past experiences to prepare us for the future He has in store.
When we introduce ourselves or introduce another person to someone they have never met, we share a short ‘biography’. Things like a job title, school attended, a connection to the organization or church, or even a defining relationship. It can be tempting to downplay the importance of sharing this biographical information. Perhaps because we don’t feel like we have anything special to show for our own efforts, or we don’t want to waste time in introducing another person. However, we should never downplay the seasons and preparations that God authored in our own lives or in the lives of others.
Each thing that we name about the past is remembering and glorifying God for what He either redeemed us from or established in our lives. It is speaking our trust in a heavenly Father who has an inheritance for us, as we faithfully work and worship for His glory.
We can see a beautiful example of trusting the Lord’s preparation in a Glory Story from National Day of Prayer…
Colossians 3:23-24 instructs believers to serve the Lord Christ in everything we do and promises that our reward will be “an inheritance from the Lord.” NDP Task Force Missouri State Coordinators, Keith and Denise Belton, saw God’s blessings on the National Day of Prayer as they obediently followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. The Beltons are in their second season of serving as State Coordinators. Following their first stint as NDP leaders, the Lord led them to other Kingdom ministry opportunities, and in recent years called them back to serve within the NDP Task Force.
“This time around we have greater vision, greater depth, and more wisdom,” Denise said. “Coming back, it’s another level of activation and responsibility.”
They are continuing to build on the foundation of godly relationships that the Lord laid through their predecessors. Throughout Missouri there are networks of diligent prayer warriors whose primary goal is to lift up the name of the Lord.
Before any event activity began at the Missouri capitol building for the 2023 National Day of Prayer, intercessor teams prayer walked the capitol grounds, inviting the presence of the Lord to go before them and cover the entire capitol area.
“We had a cohesiveness that was from God,” Keith said. “A lot of coordination had to take place; we went over details, and we always prayed together.”
Roughly 20 legislators came out of session to enjoy segments of the NDP observance, and the worship and prayers echoed throughout the building. Anyone who was toiling away in an office or walking between meetings would have heard the fervent prayers and praises to the Lord!
The Beltons supported the efforts of the local NDP Task Force coordinators in St. Louis, who spent the weeks leading up to the National Day of Prayer deep in focused preparation.
“Everyone is excited, and it really is a movement—people want to pray consistently, and pray fervently,” Keith said.
The Lord used the Belton’s previous experiences to prepare and shape them for such a time as this, as they work with their newly assigned capitol coordinator and all the leaders across Missouri to leverage the momentum from the National Day of Prayer into a lifestyle of daily prayer across their beloved state.
Will you pray with me?
Lord Jesus, You are the Author of my life, and I place my hope in the inheritance that You have prepared. I praise You for the testimonies of brothers and sisters like the Beltons, who follow You in obedience and reap the harvest of experiencing Your glory in their lives. I submit every season of my life to be used by You – whether in a testimony of Your restoration or in preparation for some future work that You have planned for me. Remind me to open my mouth and speak about You at work in my life, and to turn any trepidation about the future into a proclamation of faith that You, the King of Kings, hold my future in the palm of Your hand
In Jesus name I pray, amen.
Peace and blessings,
Amy Parks
Communications Coordinator