Marketing a thing depends on identifying a prospect’s pain or pleasure points. But what happens when the thing doesn’t involve pain or pleasure? What happens when the thing fulfills the longings of the heart?

I was trying to create my video and flyer about the benefits of Christian imaging (contemplative) prayer for Christian entrepreneurs. Contemplative prayer with and without images is not new. The practice dates back at least as far as the fourth century Church.

But when I’m trying to get people’s attention, i.e., market, I thought I was supposed to come up with three pain points, because that’s what attracts people, right?

Right—except I couldn’t think of any.

What Pain Points?!

I asked the wonderful people who I introduced to imaging prayer what their pain points had been. Each one said that hadn’t had one about imaging prayer, because they didn’t know what it did.

They trusted me, so when I told them what a wonderful experience imaging prayer was, they let me pray with them. It was a transforming experience for each of them. But no earlier pain points that imaging prayer was supposed to address.

I’ve been practicing imaging prayer for 30 years; you’d think I would know what my pain points were. But I don’t. God led me to the little book that started my journey, and it was a complete surprise. I had no idea that I could speak to God, listen to God, see visions, and journal about them. I mean, the book changed my life, but I had no idea that was even a thing.

And you would think that I could simply tie the great benefits of imaging prayer to pain points. Because imaging prayer will allow you to heal, to receive direction, to grow in intimacy with God. How hard is it to construct pain points out of those? Because imaging prayer absolutely does these things and much more.

The Elephant in the Room

But here was the elephant that I just couldn’t get around: The Holy Spirit creates the imaging prayer, and He doesn’t necessarily respond to your immediate felt pain.

For example: you need to decide which of two directions you’re going to take your business. It’s an important decision, and you’ve spent a lot of time and prayer and thought on it.

Indecision is a real pain point, so if you hear that imaging prayer will show you God’s will, you can’t wait to try it.

You do. But instead of getting the divine download you expected, you see a picture of yourself standing on a hilltop with a sword in your hand and no idea what to do with it, while a passel of enemy soldiers runs towards you.

Um…

Did imaging prayer not work? It sure as heck did nothing about your pain point.

But here’s the deal: God knows that your root problem is not indecision or lack of information.

It’s fear.

Fear of making the wrong choice. Fear of disappointing God, yourself, and people watching you. Fear of being less-than. Fear of failing.

God doesn’t want to just tell you which direction you should go. Because the root problem of fear will operate in the next decision, and the next, and the next.

Working through the Bible and imaging prayer, God deals with the root: driving out fear, and acting despite fear and do the right thing. And because you learn how to dump your fear and trust God, each subsequent decision is easier and better.

So I don’t communicate imaging prayer using pain points.

Don’t get me wrong! God heals our pain and responds to His people’s urgent needs.

But with practicing imaging prayer, you might not recognize any pain points because you have no way of recognizing the need.

But what you may recognize are longings.

Longings, Not Pain Points

The idea of longings instead of pain points had never once occurred to me. So, frustrated at my inability to identify pain points, I stood my kitchen one afternoon and said, “Lord, I need to know the three pain points so I can film my magnet video and reach people. If You want me to do that, You need to tell me what they are. Thanks.”

And I went on my merry way through the rest of the day.

The next morning, I got up and walked into the kitchen to feed the pets and pour my coffee. But just as I was reaching for the coffeepot, I froze.

The Lord told me exactly what He wants me to communicate. Not pain points, not even pleasure points.

Longings.

Three longings.

Three longings of the Christian entrepreneur’s heart towards God, and towards a business that blesses the world.

Does every Christian entrepreneur have these longings? No, and I won’t call them wrong. God deals with people individually and uniquely. But for many Christian entrepreneurs, for the risk takers and dreamers, there are three business-related longings that can only be met by listening to the Lord in His Word and in intimate, listening prayer followed by empowered action:

The longing for holy purpose, like the Apostle Paul had.
The longing for strength and courage like Israel’s leader Joshua had.
The longing for God’s loving guidance like the Israel’s judge Deborah had.

As a Christian entrepreneur and a believer, I long for these things. Don’t you? To realize that God created us for a high and holy purpose. To receive guidance for becoming like Christ and for the practical decisions that Christian entrepreneurs must make every day. In the greatest heart’s desire of all: to know that the Lord loves you and guides you all your days, and into eternity.

The Lord will fulfill these three longings when Christian entrepreneurs draw closer to the Lord, listen to Him, seek out His Word in the Bible and prayer, and act—not alone, but in the power of God Himself.

This is not strange! God spoke directly to David and Deborah. To Moses and Joshua. To Simeon and Anna. To Mary and Joseph. And to humble Ananias, telling him to go to a Street called Straight, and there tell a man named Saul what he must do.

As a Christian entrepreneur who God called to your business, your business becomes a leading edge of your spiritual growth.

And the people who go out in faith to found businesses are the kind of people who don’t run along prescribed paths. We have a pioneer spirit; we have the longing for more. We are people on the move; we are marching towards home. We take our families and communities with us, and God enables our businesses to bless the world in a way we won’t know completely until we see Him face to face.

So, we believe. We keep moving.

We listen. We act.

And, by the great and overwhelming grace of God, we fulfill our high and holy purpose in a fallen world.

“’What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of a person conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.’” (1 Cor. 2:9)