Day 6: 31 Days of Prayer

Day 6: 31 Days of Prayer

Verse:

Therefore we also always pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling and by His power bring to fulfillment every desire to do good and every work of faith, so that the name of Jesus, our Lord, may be glorified in you and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 - TB)

Reflection:

I read a book in seminary titled “The Mission of God” by Christopher J. H. Wright. Even several months later, there is a quote I return to quite often: "I may be asking what kind of mission God has for me, when I should be asking what I am like before God for His mission" (p. 534). It is very common for us to sit down to pray and try to figure out what God has prepared for us. We may pray like this, "What is Your will for my life?" This is not an impolite prayer, and perhaps it is offered with good intentions. Yet, in my own life, I sometimes become too focused on what God has planned for my life. I may pray, "Show me Your will," as though God has arranged the whole universe. And has decided exactly what each person should do, how they should do it, when they should do it, with whom they should do it ... and if I do not pray diligently to determine this will of God, then I have failed to follow His desire. I would like to suggest that God is not like that. Yes, He is involved in the lives of His people. He works powerfully in our lives, often without our realizing it. What I am not saying is that He does not determine the destiny of your life. Nor am I saying that you should not pray to know God's will. But I think we far too often ask Him the wrong question. We ask Him what His plan is for us, what His will is for us, when we should be asking Him to help us become what is needed for His mission. We should ask God what His will is for Him, thereby aligning our own hearts to seek that will. Paul's prayer for the Thessalonian church above is that God would make them worthy of His calling. Furthermore, he prays that God's power would bear fruit in every good desire, and in every deed demanded by faith. God's will for the lives of His disciples is that His name would be glorified through our works of faith. His desire is that we become holy because He is holy, that we have been set apart from this world.

Challenge:

Pray not about what kind of mission God has for you, but ask yourself what kind of person God has for His mission. Pray that you would become a Christian He can use to advance His kingdom, and pray that your character would be shaped in such a way as to glorify Him more fully. Spend time in prayer introspectively, considering which parts of your character and life do not glorify God, and ask God to help you refocus on glorifying Him with every part of your character, life, and routines.

Translated from the article "31 Days of prayer: Day 6" by Daniel Berk