Scripture:
But this command I gave them, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.” Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but, in the stubbornness of their evil will, they walked in their own counsels, and looked backward rather than forward. From the day that your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day; yet they did not listen to me, or pay attention, but they stiffened their necks. They did worse than their ancestors did.
– Jeremiah 7:23-28
God is always communicating with us. Whether we listen to His voice is up to us. The Old Testament is filled with prophetic voices speaking to the people of God about their independence and stubbornness. Let us not be counted in their company. Let us not look back to the past or rely on our own skills and understanding. Let us make time to listen to God. To wait for His guidance and act on His plan and not ours.
Prayer: Father, forgive us for reveling in our independence. We repent, listen to Your voice, and pledge to follow You. We repent of our own self-reliance. We need You. We need to hear Your voice and know Your plans for Your/our church.
Petition: For each member to be humbled to confess our pride and independence. That we will let go of our own ideas and image and let God guide us along with His plan. That we stop looking to the past for God’s vision of the future.