Roughly 400 years before Jesus, lived a cupbearer to a king. Though he lived in a palace, his heart was far away with his people, whose city lay in ruins. His story unfolds in the tension between comfort and calling. He wept in secret, praying with his life and lips: “Remember me, O my God.”

This was the prayer of formation.

This was the prayer that shaped courage, solidified vision, and strengthened his community.

This was the prayer that built up a people for work that would be good for the present and good for the future.

What would begin as a project to fortify God’s city, would ultimately become a renovation of the hearts of God’s people.