Renewing Your Heart for MinistryÀpẹrẹ

Day 4: Rediscovering Your "Why"

There was a time when I caught myself going through the motions of ministry like a robot. Sunday sermons, meetings, meetings, meetings, did I mention meetings? I was doing all the right things, but my heart felt mechanical. I remember thinking, "When did serving God become just a job?"

Beth Moore, the beloved Bible teacher, went through this exact struggle. After years of intensive ministry, she found herself teaching and writing without the heart engagement she once knew. Everything felt routine instead of relationship-driven. During a personal retreat, she made a desperate plea to God: "Please restore the joy I've lost." Here's what changed everything for her: She started studying Scripture not for teaching preparation, but for personal encounter with God. She began reading the Bible like it was a love letter instead of a textbook. This shift from performance to intimacy reignited her passion and completely transformed her ministry approach.

David's prayer hits so close to home: "Restore to me the joy of your salvation." Notice he's not asking for happiness or success—he's asking for joy. Joy is different. Joy comes from remembering who God is and who we are in Him.

Joy is not an emotion we manufacture; it's a byproduct of intimacy with God. When ministry becomes duty instead of delight, we've lost our way." Jennie Allenadds, "The willing spirit that sustains ministry doesn't come from discipline alone it comes from a restored heart that remembers why we fell in love with Jesus in the first place."

Do you remember your "why"? What drew you to ministry in the first place? Was it a moment when God's love overwhelmed you? A time when you saw Him change someone's life? That fire is still there—sometimes it just needs to be rekindled.

Your Turn: Here's something that might bring tears to your eyes (the good kind). Think back to what first drew you to ministry. Write a letter to yourself from that earlier season and remind your current self of the joy and calling you once felt. What excited you? What made you come alive? Read this letter as a prayer, asking God to restore that same joy in your current season.