And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19 NIV)
One of the things that drew me to the church we started attending in 2020 was the beautiful, classic architecture of the building. From the towering steeple, to the strong brick walls, to the tall pillars on the front porch, the building says “I am a church.” Built in the 1950’s, originally it was just a large sanctuary upstairs with a large fellowship hall and kitchen downstairs. Over the years, offices, classrooms, and additions were created, but the two floors were never joined by an elevator.
Our church has a nice variety of people, including a few who are either in wheelchairs or unable to use steps easily. When I began coming to the church I started asking if they were considering adding an elevator. Of course, retrofitting a building for an elevator is not an easy or inexpensive task, so, while the leadership understood the vision for and benefits, it was a slow process – including a funding drive – to actually install what became known as a “lift.” This small elevator provides a way for handicapped individuals to go downstairs, and for food cooked in the main kitchen downstairs to be easily transported upstairs for various functions.
Today, I am grateful for those who gave of their time and resources so that more people can be welcomed into the church, no matter their physical capacity. I pray that God would provide the resources for any church needing to adapt the physical building in order to better minister to the people. And I trust that, no matter their physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual health, God will continue to draw people into his churches and further the work of his Kingdom.
Jehovah Jireh,
Thank you for providing all that we need, especially the resources that help your local and greater Church minister to those within and beyond its walls. Today we celebrate the people you are bringing into the Church—men and women, young and old, of every ability—and the movement of the Holy Spirit being poured out among your people.
We pray that as the lost, the sick, the broken, and those under spiritual oppression are drawn by your love into your body, we would have every resource needed to meet their spiritual, physical, and community needs. Thank you for vision, for financial provision, and for the skilled manufacturers and installers who made it possible for our church to have this lift. Thank you also for the resources you provide to every church that seeks to welcome and serve newcomers.
All that you have created belongs to you; help us to live lives that honor and please you. May we be people who live in grateful awareness of your grace, always choosing to walk with you in what is right. We ask these things in Jesus’ name, AMEN.
For all that I have created, the fullness of the earth, is mine…The life that pleases me is a life lived in the gratitude of grace, always choosing to walk with me in what is right. (Psalm 50:13, 23 TPT)