I’ve never suffered from vertigo, but I’m told an inner ear infection disrupts your balance and throws off your equilibrium. You may be feeling a similar kind of disorientation during the coronavirus pandemic as Bible studies, small groups and events are temporarily paused or moved onto digital platforms. The way forward for ministry in this unusual season may be murky, but one path is crystal clear:

Interrupted ministry is a call to accelerated prayer.

What if these interruptions are God’s invitation to earnest prayer? What if disruption is a trumpet call for fasting? We rightly say (and sincerely mean it!), that prayer is the work of the ministry. Right now, we have a once-in-a-lifetime chance to prove we believe it. God works through our prayers to set His plans in motion. Imagine what can happen when thousands of women bow before the throne of heaven to ask fervently for healing in our land.

Interrupted ministry is a gift to be used wisely. When the gift is unwrapped, we discover we desperately need God for more than the halt of COVID-19:

• We pray because we yearn for His presence.
• We pray because we long for the Church to once again blaze with His glory (2 Chron. 7:1-3; 14)!
• We pray because we hunger for God’s glory to fill the earth as the waters cover the sea (Hab. 3:2).

I sincerely hope this Steadfast Prayer Guide will help you rise up as a faithful watch-woman on the wall (Isa. 62:6–7; Ezek. 22:30) and enlist more to join the battle. I urge you to lead the charge by forming online or text prayer groups. Let’s wear out our knees until God rains down salvation and righteousness (Isa. 45:8). Now more than ever, may we “continue steadfastly in prayer”—together.