Have your digital ministries stalled? Did you not even start an online ministry? A breakthrough may come after God allows something to break in your life or ministry. This may not sound like fun. Yet when problems arise, we learn to more fully depend on God. In this article I examine what you can expect, and how to react.
Ask to be Broken
Asking God to break you is an exceedingly dangerous prayer. Yet it is one that will allow you to have a closer relationship with Him. It may also remove an obstacle you did not see before. Yet pain of will likely be involved. When you think you are ready, talk with your pastoral team. Make them aware of your intentions. Ask for support and guidance as you move forward. Then, as a group, pray.
What to Expect
It may not be immediate, but I guarantee something will happen. Your digital properties might get hacked. A team member will resign. Something inappropriate will be posted to social media. Or you dear reader may need to step away from your current digital duties. Whatever the problem, meet it with calm resolve. Remember that you asked for this. Trust that God will use this for good, and will see you through to the other side.
How to Pour Out
My first suggestion is to search for the good that has come from your situation. Then share that opportunity with others. Give the newly unemployed person projects for their digital résumé. Document how you recovered data. Record how you are rebuilding your online reputation. Fill in skill gaps as you cross-train all team members. Raise up a new leader to fill your role. Document these things with blog posts, podcasts, and/or video. Then share with others. This might be a full retrospective. Or you can post updates as you journey through the trouble. Just let others know that you are flourishing despite the temporary setback. Allow them to learn from your pain.
Action Item
Just so you know, this blog is a result of my being sufficiently broken. I talked through this in greater detail in the journey episodes of my podcast. In short, I endured about 18 months of unemployment. But on the other end, I was on a new career path. The new direction that gave me more job satisfaction than I could imagine. Plus it nudged me to start giving back my knowledge. So consider asking God to break you or a part of your ministry. Trust that He will direct your actions. The other side of a catastrophe will have you moving in a direction that only God could imagine.
If you think you are ready to jump into this, please pray with me:
“Heavenly Father, please allow something in my life to break. Let your perfect will shape the lessons I learn. I ask the outcome be what you desire. Let the wheat separate from the chaf, and give me a digital ministry that best reflects Jesus’ church. Amen.”
Photo courtesy of Michael & Christa Richert
This article was inspired by the Dangerous Prayers series from Life Church.
