04/20/2022
We often pray for strength, but are we simply asking for physical strength that is of this world, or for Spiritual strength that is eternal, and lifts us up through Jesus Christ into the presence of God? We pray a great deal for the things that God has created, but let’s think back on our prayers and weigh them on a scale, placing the spiritual on one side and the earthly on the other… this will determine where our treasure is, and our hearts desire. This will show us what we actually worship… what we value most.
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.””
John 4:24 ESV
Our temptation is to walk in the world we know, and to be conformed to it. This leads us to pray for worldly things because we have allowed them to become our focus. We are inclined to pray for the things that influence our earthly life; not the things of God. Our emphasis is often on those things created by Him, and although He called them good, He didn’t refer to them as perfect, and He never intended for them to be worshiped, or to become more important to us than Himself.
“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
Matthew 5:48 ESV
We should be striving to live in the will of God which is not only good and acceptable, but goes beyond this to bring “perfect”. Jesus spoke to us of this…
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Romans 12:2 ESV
To place the creation above the creator is a common practice of mankind. We often value the creations of artists much more than the artists themselves. We can recognize the paintings of Picasso, but how many of us could identify him in a police lineup, or from a group of pictures? We can hear these three words: “Call me Ishmael”, and immediately recognize them as the opening line of the book Moby Dick, but how many of us can recall a single fact about the life of the author, Herman Melville… other than to say that he wrote this book.
To keep God from being eclipsed by the notoriety of the Bible, the apostle John wrote some very famous words that are meant to make certain that this doesn’t happen. In order to keep the stories, and those who penned them, from ever eclipsing God he wrote this…
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
John 1:1 ESV
So what are our prayers comprised of? Are we like most of mankind, and obsessed with the everyday things of life, or is our life centered on the spiritual things that are eternal? Life, and living is important, and in many ways they are a reflection of God, but the Spirit and truth that scripture speaks of is much more than this. Our prayers should be focused on gaining Spiritual strength.
“Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
Zechariah 4:6 ESV
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the Bible, your Holy Word, that is more than a collection of stories meant to entertain us. Thank you for not only writing yourself into its pages, but for becoming every Word of it. Help us Lord to concentrate our gaze on you, and to make you the absolute focus of our attention, and our prayers. Hear us as we ask you for strength and direct our longing towards the things of eternal consequence; towards the Spirit and truth you have directed us to worship you in. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you our God who loves us, and desires that we seek to be perfect even as you, and your Son Jesus, are perfect. Praised be your name for the blinders of faith that we wear as we walk through the world and for your hand that guides us along the way. Merciful are you Father for teaching us to pray for heavenly strength, and warning us against the fleeting nature of worldly prayers, and desires. Wash us in the blood of Jesus, and cleanse us of all sin. Bring us into judgement, and see in us the perfect Spirit of Jesus. Call us worthy in Him, say we are your children, your friends, and announce before all creation that you are pleased with us. To this end Lord, we pray that you strengthen us, and prepare us for eternity with you.
“These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God. If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”
Colossians 2:17-23 ESV
Rich Forbes