Reset for Renewal is forty days to resist hurry and embrace prayer for the love of God and neighbor. We are asking Jesus, as the disciples did millenia ago, “Teach us to pray.” Not just teach us how to pray, many of us already know that. But teach us to be a people of prayer, so marked by the presence of God that our neighbors ask, “Who else has a god as near to them as the LORD their God is near to them whenever they call on him?” (Deut 4:17). Because of COVID-19, we are in a global transition. Whatever comes next we will not regret resetting our lives around rhythms of prayer, sending our roots down deep into the love of God to broaden our branches in love for God and neighbor.

Over these forty days, there will be four movements of ten days. We will have a guide walking you through three prayers per day. Psalm 55:17 says, “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.”

There’s a long tradition of fixed-hour prayer that grew out of this psalm. A practice of punctuating your life with times to pause and turn your attention to God, his presence and purposes, at the beginning, middle, and end of each day. In this first movement, we will begin the day offering up our lives with a Prayer of Relinquishment. At noon, all of us, wherever we are, will join together in the Lord’s Prayer as a Prayer of Realignment. If you can’t join exactly at noon then pray it when you can during the midday. In the evening, we will review the day with God using a Prayer of Reflection modeled after a practice called the Examen.

Morning: Prayer of Relinquishment

Midday: Prayer of Realignment

Evening: Prayer of Reflection

What does renewal look like? It will look like deepening enjoyment of God. Resting in the Father’s protection and provision (Matt 10:26-33). Abiding in Jesus moment-by-moment with unshakeable confidence (Psalm 16:8). Discerning the Spirit’s leading as he counsels us with his eye upon us (Psalm 32:8). It will look like hearts, homes, our church, and maybe even our city flourishing like Aaron’s staff that sprouted in the wilderness, put forth buds and blossoms, and bore ripe fruit, because it was in the presence of God. All of us, filled with the Spirit, released for creative ministry in our city. In summary, it will look like love of God and neighbor. Let’s slow down, stop striving, open up to the Spirit of God, and receive and rest in all that God is for us in Jesus.