Prayer

I often wonder what it is that brings people to their knees before God. Everyone has a different story, many are like mine, and others are unique or original tales of God's grace. Nevertheless, we do have a story, and at some point in there if we are a Christian we have found ourselves on our knees before God. So often Christianity is mistaken for wanting to go to heaven and escaping hell. Reality: fear of hell is not sufficient to usher you into the kingdom of God. Heaven is for those who love Him, and that doesn't stem from fear of hell in and of itself. Somewhere between falling on our knees in worship at the Cross of Jesus Christ and entering into Heaven we fall into a trap- Pride.

Pride is ever so dangerous and always lurking around the corner. It is a constant danger and appears in so many different ways. What is pride you say? Edward Payson says this:

"Pride consists in an unduly exalted opinion of one's self. It is, therefore, impatient of a rival, hates a superior, and cannot endure a master."

Paul reminds us in Romans 12 not to think more highly of ourselves than we ought to, but with sober judgment examine ourselves. I love his advice, but how does this come? I am not the only person on earth blogging on pride. I am the 1,000,000th customer in this game. So many have answered the question in their minds, and yet it still plagued me. The reason- I am so proud. It is a battle for so long that I couldn't win, and eventually deemed helpless. It showed itself in subtle ways, like establishing myself as an "Alpha" in a group. It happens when I judge the conversations of others. It rears its ugly head when I hear another teach or preach. Pride leaps out when I "fish for compliments" because of my insecurities. Funny how insecurity at its core is really pride. I fought and fought for so long. I legitimately tried everything I knew, and I had an insatiable hunger for the Word of God...but nothing worked.

Recently I think I have found the solution. It is simple, but people find it so difficult. Prayer. I really think that as Christians we should lament that our prayers don't do more. But is there anything more humbling than asking God for EVERYTHING?! When you get in your car and pray for a safe trip- because you have no control over the other drivers on the road and whether or not you get there safely! When you get in the shower in the morning- because your life is so fragile you could slip and fall. When you wake up after a night's sleep- because God created the world in such a way that sleeping gives your body rest, and He doesn't need any! When you teach and preach and proclaim the gospel with great words and knowledge- and then you stand before kids crying unable to formulate a coherent thought...pray, and God acts.

Knowing that we aren't in control of anything can be frightening at first. Praying for humility, praying in everything, praying for friends and churches and missionaries- it's humbling. It shows us how big God is and how sovereign He is, and just how incredibly small we are!

Why is it comforting? Because in the end you aren't as good at controlling stuff as He is. Because God knows everything, and you only know most stuff. And because the God who created the world through spoken word is orchestrating the workings of the universe to work together for the good of the entire church (universal) instead of you working for your own good.

Pray. Humble yourself in prayer. Pray to Him for all things, through all things, and in all things. You will be surprised to find that God answers prayers and takes delight in meeting the needs of His people.

"The church will not get on its feet until it first gets on its knees." Vance Havner