The team met on Thursday, October 17 to seek God’s direction for how to move forward. We prayed together, discussed the information gleaned through the search process so far, and shared where we have individually seen God’s clear hand at work through this search process. He has shown himself so very faithful, and we are a BLESSED church!
We all agreed that God has brought us, both individually and as a team, to a place of indifference toward our own preferences. We all desire first and foremost to obey whatever God wants us to do. After several hours, we also all agreed that God has not yet provided the search team with clarity and unity in how we should proceed.
Our church and this search process are at a crucial juncture. In light of the weightiness of the decisions to be made, the team has decided to spend the next week very intentionally seeking God’s wisdom and clear direction regarding our next step. We will each be fasting in some manner while we continue to pray. We want to draw close and cling to the Lord, confident that he already knows the man that he has called; we need only to listen and obey.
Would you join us? If so, please consider what type of fast makes the most sense for you, and use that fast to pray specifically. Ask the Lord to reveal His will to each search team member, giving each one a specific confirmation of what they have heard from Him. Ask that you, too, would become increasingly indifferent to your own preferences, wholeheartedly chasing God’s leading. Ask that our body would be marked by dependence on the Holy Spirit, commitment to God’s work in the world, and joyful submission to His perfect and holy will.
For those of us who are new to fasting, who want to fast from something other than food, or who would like some inspiration regarding a fast, there is a wealth of resources available (click here for a list of articles from Desiring God). We found the following article particularly helpful as an overview with encouraging reminders about how to seek God through fasting: Fasting for Beginners.
The team will meet again on Thursday, October 24.