Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Romans 12:11
“A person who does not stop going forward will eventually arrive, though perhaps late… There is no greater cause of straying from the path of faithful perseverance than letting up in prayer.”
Teresa of Avila in The Life of St. Teresa of Ávila 19, 5, as cited with supplemental comments by Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 7 (London: Scepter, 1993) 217.
How do we keep the fires of our spiritual fervor stoked? Prayer.
I was reading excerpts from The Life of St. Teresa of Ávila today in Jamaica (pictured above). Her comment that we may arrive where God wants us to go, but “perhaps late” resonated with me.
Why? I find myself in a place where things happen slowly.
This idea of pace got me thinking as I mine the topic of “waiting” this month. If you have not downloaded my Advent ebook entitled, WAITING, click here to download it freely. Don’t just read it. Go through it with a friend. Now back to today’s thoughts.
God does not want us to rush too fast through life. I have been guilty of that.
He does, however, want us to persevere faithfully with an unending pace at prayer. This discipline helps us stay on the path God has for us and get where He wants us to go faster. Teresa goes on to describe prayer as “establishing a foundation” for everything else we do.
CCEFA (Caribbean Council for Ethical and Financial Accountability) is launching this week.
If the Lord wills, CCEFA will serve as the peer accountability group (PAG) for the Caribbean. This will all come together thanks to the faithful work of God’s servants and prayer.
Please, if you have a moment, pray with me for the launch of CCEFA in Jamaica this week for this country and the entire region. I have many meetings, TV and radio interviews, and speaking engagements in advance to raise awareness. And this is my prayer.
Father in heaven, advance the vision of CCEFA to grow accountability and regional generosity. By your Holy Spirit, raise up prayer partners, givers in Jamaica to meet the $10,000 match from GTP, givers from USA and around the world to contribute to the match here, accountants and lawyers to serve as volunteer accreditors, and move church and ministry workers to follow standards and get CCEFA accredited for your glory. In your mercy, Father, hear my prayer. Make it so I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.