The new year is here. The old has gone. And, whilst on one level the calendar turn changes very little, January 1st is traditionally a time to pause and take stock.
As individuals we often use this time of year to thank God for his immeasurable kindness to us. Sometimes we use it to ask the big questions of: Why? And how long? Frequently, we spend a few moments looking to the months ahead and planning and preparing for what is to come. And, as we do, one thing comes into sharp relief: in the good times and the hard, we need the Lord. It is his goodness, his grace, his leadership, his Lordship that lies at the foundation of all that happens in our lives.
The start of a new year is no less significant for an organisation like BCUK. We too have been looking back and praising God for his provision and the wonderful fruit that he has brought as we have laboured for him. We’ve been thanking God for our conference; our new website; our book Mental Health and Your Church; all the certificate course students and interns who have trained; all the churches we’ve visited; all the benefits of the Family Care Research – and all the gospel-hearted partners who have made that possible. We’ve been thanking God for his sustaining care through the harder days. And are looking forward to 2024 and all that holds: new conferences, new books, new courses, new partnerships and so much more! But, for us too, such reflection shows our need of God.
As Psalm 127 reminds us:
Unless the Lord builds the house,
the builders labour in vain.
So, we would love to invite you to pray with us at the start of this new year. All of us together, praying to the same Father in the same Spirit to the glory of the same Son – that BCUK would be faithful and fruitful in the kingdom. We’d love you to be praying for our teaching and training, our conferences and courses, our people and partners. We’d value you asking God for his wisdom as we look to the future with eyes high and hearts soft, and for blessing on the congregations we seek to serve through our visits and resources. All those things will only be fruitful if we depend on the Lord.
Will you pray with us? Pray for just one aspect of our work each day this week? If so, you can download our prayer points here or follow us on one of our social media channels and view daily prayer points there.
Thank you in advance for your partnership. We need the Lord. We need you. And we are grateful that you would speak to the Lord with us at the start of this year.
