If you’ve tuned in to Watermark Family Prayer, you’ve seen Jim Wimberley leading in raising the value of prayer for our body. That’s not a new thing for Jim. He’s been a Watermark staff pastor and prayer warrior for two decades. Read about why Jim is so committed to prayer and how he’s responding to the Covid-19 news here. Want to know more about prayer? Here are 10 Ways to Improve Your Prayer Life.
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Jim Wimberley
How are you managing concerns about Covid19?
“My wife, Judy, and I are both taking the recommended precautions. But, I really believe the words of Job 14:5. There’s an appointed time for us to live and to die, and none of us are going to live a minute shorter than God has planned for us. That’s not a call to reckless living. It’s a call to Kingdom-minded living and accomplishing His purposes until Jesus calls us home.”
A lot of people see you in your role at Watermark and assume you’ve been a believer your entire life. Is that the case?
“No. Growing up, I just went to church when I wanted to impress a girl. In fact, that’s how I met my wife, Judy. We met on a blind date, and I continued to act the part of a Christian to get on her Dad’s good side. When we got engaged, I told Judy’s father I would be the spiritual leader of our home, and that lasted all of six months after we got married. Judy continued to be involved in a local church, but I was always too busy to join her. While Judy and I had a wonderful friendship, we weren’t truly united. The words of Amos 3:3 are true: ‘Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?’ What I was pursuing was business success and not success in our marriage.”
When did you trust in Christ?
“In 1969, I was working night and day for the company that invented the ATM. Judy and I met with a guy who was raising support for his work with Campus Crusade. I figured that giving to that ministry was a way to get on God’s good side. But then he invited me to join his Bible study. I had never really looked at a Bible before we started studying the book of Ephesians together. Soon the men in my Bible study were memorizing Scripture, including key verses of the gospel. One night I read Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” I realized that I was a sinner in need of a Savior and prayed for God to forgive me and change me into the man He wanted me to be. That was the starting point in my relationship with Christ, and He is still making me more like Jesus every day.”
Why are you so passionate about prayer?
“When I first became a believer, I met men who were devoted to prayer. And I saw the Lord answering those prayers in God-designed ways. Prayer helped me see the value in staying on God’s plan, rather than my own. God talks to us through His Word, and that’s why it’s important to use the Bible as the foundation of our prayers. When we’re praying for guidance, that’s exactly what God does – conform us more into the image of Christ.”
What motivates you to continue working?
“After our kids graduated from college, God impressed on my heart that I needed to finish the race well and train myself for godliness (2 Timothy 4:7-8). I’d never thought about being in vocational ministry, but in 2003, I answered the call to join the Watermark staff. Each year I have prayed that God would use me for as long as He wants. I’ll be 80 in December, and every year, the Lord continues to confirm this is where He wants me to be. The word ‘retirement’ is not in the Bible. God wants me to be effective for His mission and purposes for as long as I’m here.”