1 Corinthians 10:31
When you ask God for something do you think about why you're asking? Why do you want God to answer your prayer? If I'm honest, most of the time it's for selfish reasons... comfort, peace, encouragement, relief, joy, etc.
I'm a couple books away from finishing the Old Testament and this time through I've noticed yet another pattern that I hadn't seen before. When the men of God in the OT prayed they asked for things so that God's glory would be displayed in the world and his name revered.
Consider the following examples...
-Moses-
"O Lord," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'?" (Exodus 32:11)
-David-
"And now, Lord, let the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then men will say, 'The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!'" (1 Chronicles 17:23-24)
For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great. (Psalm 25:11)
For your name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life... (Psalm 143:11)
-Hezekiah-
"Now, O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all kingdoms on earth may know that you alone, O Lord, are God." (Isaiah 37:20)
-Jeremiah-
"O Lord, we acknowledge our wickedness and the guilt of our fathers; we have indeed sinned against you. For the sake of your name do not despise us; do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us and do not break it." (Jeremiah 14:20-21)
These are but a few examples of the numerous times in the OT when the prophets, kings, and righteous men appealed to God's desire to glorify himself.
In response to this we should seek to pray in the same way. But first we must truly embrace the fact that God is out for his own glory and then seek to work constantly for it ourselves in light of 1 Corinthians 10:31. This is not a way to manipulate God into answering your prayers... if it's not his will it won't happen. What it should be however is an overflow of your genuine desire for God's glory to be spread throughout the earth.
Once you have this genuine desire in your heart begin to pray for things so that God's glory will increase in the world. For example I pray that God will bless my ministry for his own glory. I pray that he will allow me to post things on this blog that will help others for his own glory. I pray that he will save the lost for his own glory. And I pray that he will help me to love my wife for his own glory.
Ask yourself... are my prayers God-centered or self-centered?
No comments:
Post a Comment