Bishop Young Jin Cho has a sculpture made from terra-cotta clay created by professor Eui-Seok Oh depicting a person in the midst of prayer. In an interview in the Grand Rapids press, Professor Oh said, “Terra-cotta has meaning to me … man shaped from clay, like me. After shaping, the sculpture is tested by fire. You may make good works, but if you fail in the firing the sculpture will be gone. Before the last process of the fire, the artist should be humble.”

For me, the sculpture represents an image of Young Jin Cho humbly bowing his head in prayer. Bishop Cho’s leadership from the beginning has emphasized the importance and power of faithful prayer. He said many times, “I think the United Methodist Church faces a spiritual issue and a faith issue. This is the reason I say, no spiritual vitality, no vital congregations!”

One pastor remarked: “Young Jin Cho is the first bishop to challenge me to pray one hour a day and be more mindful of spiritual disciplines.” Another wrote, “The presence of God’s Spirit cannot be missed. Bishop Cho’s humble servant leadership is evident, and his emphasis on prayer is a powerful witness.”

Scripture continually emphasizes the importance of prayer. Six times prayer is emphasized as a critical component of healing and faith: Is anyone suffering — let him pray; is anyone sick — let the elders pray; a prayer of faith will save the one who is sick; confess your sins and pray for one another; prayer of a righteous person has great power; Elijah prayed fervently that it might not rain and it did not.

As a young man, Young Jin Cho experienced a five-year struggle with tuberculosis that nearly killed him. He suffered from many complications and infection for three months. In the midst of pain, suffering and questions about God’s love, Bishop Cho heard the voice of God saying, “Are not sparrows sold two for a penny? So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” The peace that came to him in that moment led Bishop Cho on a journey toward ministry. There would be more difficulties ahead, but through prayer Bishop Cho gained an assurance of God’s presence and a freedom from any more fear.

“When I was elected bishop, I challenged the clergy and laity to dedicate at least one hour daily for spiritual disciplines,” he said. “My hope and prayer is to spread the culture of prayer and spiritual discipline to the churches in our conference because I believe that it will be impossible for our churches to be turned around without rediscovering spiritual vitality.”

As 2016 nears, we acknowledge that our churches are in crisis. What if all who read these words were to dedicate themselves to devoting more time for prayer, Bible study and other spiritual disciplines? What if we prayed for God to work through us to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ, strengthen our commitment to our church and inspire greater witness in our community?

Just before his election as bishop, Young Jin Cho urged everyone to join him in a prayer spoken by the former Yankee second baseman, Bobby Richardson. At a gathering of Christian athletes, Bobby offered the following, “Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen.”

The Lord is with us. This is the promise our faithful God has given us. While we may not know the future, we do know who is with us and who will lead us. Thanks be to God!

REV. LARRY E. DAVIES can be reached at larrydavies@sowingseedsoffaith.com.