Saturday 2/25/2012 6:28 AM
“Lord, be with my friend as they grieve the loss of their spouse.” “Lord, be with me in my job interview today.” “Lord, be with my friend as they undergo surgery today.” These are typical prayers that I often hear uttered from my mouth or from the mouths of others with whom I am praying. I have tried to eliminate them from my prayer life as much as possible over the last couple of years because they seem unnecessary. In Joshua 1:9 God has encouraging words for Joshua, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” In Matthew 28:20 Jesus promises his disciples, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” It seems pointless to ask God to be with me since he has already promised to do so. I have changed my prayers so they have a different flavor, something like these. “Lord, make me aware of your presence with me today.” “Lord, remind my friend that you are with him in the middle of his sorrow.”
Today I read John 12:26, “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant will also be.” This puts a different perspective on things for me. A servant follows his master, not the other way around. A master tells his servant what to do, not the servant his master. In the prayers stated above it sounds like I am giving orders to God, telling him how to spend his time and his energies, in effect, telling God to go here and to do this. If I am to be a servant of God I need to follow where God leads and do what he tells me to do. My prayers need to take on this tone, “Lord, give me eyes to see where you are going today and give me the strength to follow you, trusting you to provide for my needs.” If I am to be the loving hands of God to a broken world I need to be next to him.
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