I’m preparing a Bible study concerning the power of prayer. Most of our prayers are for change in circumstances, or changes in others, but as I read the Bible passages on prayer, many of them reveal that God uses prayer to transform the person who is praying. Prayer changes us.
This morning I read Romans 12. Paul writes, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
He says I’m not to be like the rest of the world. Other passages describe the world’s system as motivated by desire for personal ease, power, control, and importance. It is a ‘me first’ world where even a low sense of self is fueled by “I deserve better.”
If I pray as the Bible instructs and as the Holy Spirit leads, I cannot be selfish. My prayers will be for God’s glory, the advancement of His kingdom, the well-being of others. I can ask for wisdom, grace, power, etc., but only toward those ends.
I didn’t start out praying like that. I always came to God with a shopping list of all the ‘miracles’ that would make my life more comfortable, give me more control, build my ego. Sometimes I still have a list like that, but more and more, He is teaching me His will. As He does, it is easier to pray accordingly.
One key from Romans 12 concerning His will is how to think about myself and how to be less self-centered. Verse three says: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.”
Self-evaluation is generally based on “what I think others think” or more egotistically, “what I want myself to be” rather than God’s evaluation. There is no place in the Bible that tells us our self-esteem is too low. Here it says to smarten up; evaluate myself according to God’s revelations to me. His evaluation is balanced; I’m a sinner, but also loved, accepted, and made capable by Him to do all things.
The world does not offer that balance. In fact, I seldom meet anyone who can set out both strengths and weaknesses with total acceptance and say, “This is who I am.” People are bashful about their stronger points, or unable to see them, or hung up on what they cannot do, or blind to their weaknesses.
Prayer opens our eyes. As I talk to God about everything, He helps me with the blind spots and moves my attitude from me, myself, and I to think more about His grace and glory. As He blesses me with a deeper knowledge of Himself, He transforms me more and more into that image (2 Corinthians 3:18 says it, but most of the time I don’t see it!).
The downside is that being a nonconformist in this world means being misunderstood, maligned, ridiculed, even rejected. The selfish side of me doesn’t want that, and could that be the reason prayer is sometimes the last thing I feel like doing?
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