prayer

Jeremiah 6: 16 captures this beautifully:

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.’”

Our theme for 2026 will be Tracks, Gates & New Pathways

Picture a typical South African veld scene with an old, open gate with a “No Entry” sign hanging on it. Deep, well-worn tracks stretch far into the distance—tracks or paths that have been travelled often and easily, requiring no thought to follow.

You know the old saying, “well it runs in my family.” Every individual and every family carries these kinds of tracks. This can be true of both the good and the bad. But in the same breath, you can declare: “It stops or it starts with me!”

Patterns of destruction, generational curses, or destructive habits remain until someone in a generation pays the price and closes the gate.  Eventually the old tracks disappear. Likewise, every family carries beautiful tracks—tracks of blessing, of  faithfulness, and spiritual inheritance. They are well-maintained and lead towards freedom and fullness of life. These are the deep tracks of blessing and well-worn ancient paths.

Scripture calls us to stand, to look ,and to  ask. To walk in the good way—with the mighty promise of rest for our souls.

These open and closed gates—and their tracks—don’t just apply to our families. They apply to our workplaces, our city, our nation, and beyond.

Each generation must take up its responsibility as we “pass the baton.” Spiritual battles don’t stop; they simply change. But God remains faithful to all generations. Prayer protects and preserves the next generation. As Bruce reminds us: “If we don’t pray, we become prey.”

So how will we deal with these tracks, gates and pathways? As you know, we always take time to seek the Lord and to ask Him to guide us. This year we will anchor ourselves in Philippians 4: 4–7:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all.
The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything,
but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Rejoicing is not optional—it is a spiritual posture. It opens the heart to God’s presence and favour. It cultivates contentment, strength, and peace. Continual joy in the Lord doesn’t just uplift the spirit; it attracts God’s blessing. As Julian Adams says: “Joy isn’t circumstantial—it’s prophetic.”

If joy is the internal state, then rejoicing is the outward expression of that truth.

So with an understanding of both generational blessing and responsibility— of closing what needs to be closed, and asking, “Where is the good way?”, we will begin forming new pathways of prayer.

We will start our #365Watch for 2026 with prayers of blessing. As Daniel and Estell Brink of Jericho Walls (part of our El Shaddai family), remind us: “To bless others and to be a blessing should be an integral part of every believer’s character and conduct.”

In closing…what we tolerate becomes the inheritance of the next generation. But when we stand at the crossroads, look, and ask where the good way is—and walk in it—we not only find rest for our souls, we also create well-worn, easy-to-follow pathways of prayer.