Pouring out your heart in prayer

This time last year the Girls' Brigade's Sally Claydon began a new role, and was facing government targets and an empty appointments diary. She poured her heart out to God... 

Searching for some words I’d previously written, I stumbled across a prayer I wrote this time last year when I started my role as a Development Worker for Girls’ Brigade.

With government targets to reach and an empty appointment diary I’d poured my heart out in prayer. It’s been an amazing year with church after church positively responding to the opportunity that partnering with GB brings. New groups have sprung up and children who have previously had no contact with church life are now discovering that they’re loved and accepted as they have fun at GB each week.

The prayer is about joining God where He is already working. I hope you can adapt it and make it your own…

Lord, you are God. You’re powerful, amazing, all knowing, creative, just, compassionate and loving.

Forgive us Lord for our self-sufficiency, our systems, procedures, rules and regulations and busy-ness that fills our time.  Forgive us Lord for our cosy lives, our cosy churches, our cosy youth programmes with our cosy children.

You care and you love us.  You love children and young people.  You tell us to have faith like them; to become like little children - to trust you. 

We believe that our children and young people need you… they need to learn life skills, they need training and qualifications, they need stability, they need opportunities, but most of all they need you.

I pray for the areas where I’m working as a Development Worker. Thank you that you’re there. You’re working in people’s lives. You’re moving.

You’re loving, you’re creating, you’re forgiving, you’re showing compassion, grace and mercy…  We want to join in Lord. We want to reach more children and young people.

Lord, some churches will want GB and some won’t. Please speak and prepare the hearts of those we’ll work with. Please help us make the right connections. We want to join in where you’re working, please show us Lord.’

Sally Claydon is Girls’ Brigade team leader at 1st Hawkwell group, based at Hawkwell Baptist Church, Rochford, Essex, and a GB Development Worker in London. She writes a regular column about the Girls’ Brigade for The Baptist Times.

Picture: RGB Stock