The Chronic Joy Prayer Pond

PRAYER IS THE HEARTBEAT OF CHRONIC JOY MINISTRY  

Prayer for a thriving Chronic Joy community has been our heart from the very beginning. Logistically, though, we’ve been challenged as those in our community are spread across the world. Yet in God’s perfect timing, He reveals each next step. He is guiding us to create greater connection and to dismantle the barriers.

Today, we are excited to announce the brand new Chronic Joy Prayer Pond, a place to come, sit, and rest, and pray at the water’s edge. We invite you to toss your prayer and praise requests into the pond. Then you can #PrayItForward by praying for others’ requests. While you’ve been invited to request prayer for many months, until now there wasn’t a way to share your requests with the greater Chronic Joy community.

BUT YOU SPOKE. AND WE LISTENED.

So many of you have told us that because of chronic illness you aren’t able to serve in traditional ways – they just don’t work. But you’ve also told us again and again that you can pray – day or night. Now we invite you to do just that.

One of the most exciting new features is that as you pray for someone, you can then click, “I PRAYED FOR THIS” button. Then the requester (as long the requester selected the “Email Me When Someone Prays” option) will receive an email saying, “Someone just prayed for you!” Each time we receive this note, our hearts do a little leap, because we no longer feel so alone.

When you request prayer, you will receive an email saying, “Your Prayer Request Has Been Received.” That email includes a link allowing you to both remove your request or to let us know that your prayer has been answered.

WHY CALL IT A PRAYER POND?

In the Bible, water represents cleansing by the washing of the water of the Word of God. It is also the source of Living Water that springs up into eternal life. Jesus referred to the coming of the “living water” as the Holy Spirit. Finally, God is this source of Living Water in both the Old and the New Testaments. We are reminded in John 4:14 that all those who drink from it will never die and indeed, shall never thirst again.

So often chronic illness depletes our spirits, causing us to feel purposeless, anxious, alone, and forgotten about. Sitting at the edge of a quiet pond and tossing a prayer into the depths, watching the water ripple out toward the far shores is what happens when we request prayer and share our praises. As a community we are able to offer radical hope and compassionate change to one another. This is a beautiful, tangible form of care, service, and compassion each time we pray with and for each other.

PASSIONATE ABOUT PRAYER

At Chronic Joy, we’re passionate about prayer. We extend a warm invitation to pray for this ministry, for those affected by chronic illness, mental illness, chronic pain, and disability, and for each prayer request tossed into our Prayer Pond. Whether a request, praise, lament, suffering, loss, hope, grief, or joy, each prayer ripples far beyond this day and the boundaries of our world.

How often we hear, “Prayer is the least I can do,” when in reality, prayer is the most we can do. As we connect with our Heavenly Father and with one another in prayer, our serving hearts both grow and thrive.

We invite you to sign-up to receive prayer devotionals, visit the Prayer Pond, and #PrayItForward.

We look forward to meeting you at the Prayer Pond!