One
of the great misconceptions in Christian circles is that God must give us what
we ask because of our great need...or because we are so fervent in our
praying...or because what we ask is not selfish or intended to feed some
ungodly lust. Our Lord answers our
prayers because of the work of Christ on the Cross. Sin is the great destroyer of all praying and,
regardless of our determination to get what we want, it is fool's gold to reach
out to God for anything but His forgiveness and transformed life. Have we come to realize that Satan can give
us what we ask and we can gain great treasure on earth without a drop of God in
it? The only proof you have that God is
coming to you in your praying is if your faith is in Christ alone to save
you. His blood upon your heart is the
mark of your citizenship and family heritage.
What good is it to gain the whole world and lose your soul! What good is it to have a new car, a better
job, a string of new friends or a fixed home if the blood of Christ does not
seal them with redemption? Prayer is the
grand opportunity we have to give ourselves completely over to Christ to care
for us and transform our will which we have from conception as a gift of God. Wants and needs are never to be the center of
praying. It is the remade personality we
have through the crucified life of our Lord that must take center stage. At some point, we will discover in our
praying that we have not a shred of worrying in our praying, that we have
become like little children who trust absolutely in the Good Father due to the
transforming work of Christ in our crucified praying and the fret will be gone
that perhaps we have been abandoned in our needs and wants. The theology of praying must never be bound
up in the getting but always in the receiving.
These are two very different ends and it can take a lifetime to know the
difference between the two.
Therefore
I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it,
and it will be yours. Mark 11:24 NIV
No comments:
Post a Comment