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A Prayer about the One True King

by | Sep 18, 2021 | Daily Prayer, Theology

A Prayer about the One True King

King Jesus,

We admit, we in the Western world don’t understand much 

about kings and rulers and, really, your kind of politics.

After all, you are the King 

who created all things (can any other king in history say that?!), 

You created all things——

in heaven and on earth, 

visible and invisible, 

thrones and dominions 

and rulers and authorities 

(pause us to imagine the thrones you created 

and the dominions you granted, 

both those we have seen visibly in history 

and those that are not visible to us and are yet very real).

As we imagine other thrones and dominions and rulers and authorities, 

we may think of evil rulers 

like Nero or Hitler 

or Satan and his minions, “the prince of the power of the air.” 

Remind us that while you created them, 

you did not create them to be evil—

they chose commitment to self-rule 

over submission to your rule. 

And yet, though you created all things,

you chose submission to your Father’s rule 

over self-rule (Philippians 2:5).

Each and every day, we have a choice—

to serve you or to serve our own little fiefdoms.

By your grace, draw us to serve you as your ambassadors, 

because it is only in you 

that all things (everything that matters) hold together (Colossians 1:17). 

In your majestic name. Amen.

Read Colossians 1:15-23.

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A Prayer about Imagining God’s Peaceful Kingdom

by | Sep 3, 2021 | Daily Prayer, Theology

A Prayer about Imagining God’s Peaceful Kingdom

Heavenly Father,

Enliven our imaginations so that 

we may see the reality of your kingdom of peace 

which has already come and which awaits fulfillment. 

Too often we are like the skeptical people 

Hemingway refers to in The Sun Also Rises, 

who mock those who believe in beauty, saying, 

“Isn’t it pretty to think so?”* 

You have said that one day 

the “wolf shall dwell with the lamb, 

and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat” (Isaiah 11:6)

It’s not just pretty to think so 

but profound to believe.

Indeed, you have already sent our Savior, 

the one in whom “The Spirit of the Lord” rests, 

in whom 

“the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, 

the Spirit of counsel and might, 

the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the Lord” 

is embodied (Isaiah 11:1-2).

Because Christ has come, 

because he has died for our sins,

 because he has risen from the dead, 

and because he is coming again, 

we have every reason to live now 

as if such peace and flourishing have already begun.

We have every reason to no longer “hurt or destroy.” 

For indeed, the whole earth, 

from the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean, 

is full of the knowledge of you, Lord. 

May we live and love today as if we really believe.

In Jesus’ peace-bringing name. Amen. 

Read Isaiah 11. 

*Quoted in Rankin Wilbourne’s excellent book Union with Christ: The Way to Know and Enjoy God.

A Prayer about Remembering the Spirit’s Power

by | Aug 19, 2021 | Daily Prayer, Spiritual Growth, Theology

A Prayer about Remembering the Spirit’s Power

Spirit of the Living God,

Forgive us for forgetting you.

If it weren’t for you making our hearts alive, 

we would never have followed Christ (Ephesians 2:1-5; Ezekiel 36:26-27).

And now, as we seek to live a life of love and obedience to God, 

we so often try to run in our own strength, 

forgetting that it is by your power alone—

your help, your energy, your counsel,

 your wisdom, your prayer, your renewal,

that we are enabled to grow 

in our delight and service to God. 

Hel[p us to remember that by your work 

we are united to Christ—

Christ in us, we in him, 

and through that gracious union, 

we are justified, having inherited “the hope of eternal life.” 

Help us to remember that it is only

because of your regenerating work, 

we now “devote ourselves to doing good” (Titus 3:8). 

In your power we pray. Amen.

Read Titus 3:3-8; Ephesians 2:1-10; Ezekiel 36:26-27.

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A Back-to-School Lesson about Performance-Based Acceptance

by | Aug 17, 2021 | Theology, Weekly Gospel Meditation

A Back-to-School Lesson about Performance-Based Acceptance

In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— Ephesians 1:4-5

Just shy of 59-years-old, I was headed back to school. I was excited to begin my Doctor of Ministry program, but I was also daunted by the prospect of returning to the classroom. In many ways, I felt like an incoming high school freshman:

  • Would I be accepted?
  • Would the other classmates (all men) think I didn’t belong?
  • What did people wear to class?
  • Would anybody eat lunch with me?

At one level, my doubts were normal; at another, they revealed a deeply-rooted sinful propensity to believe I can only be accepted on the basis of my performance. A guest speaker helped me to recognize this idol I have long worshiped. The seventy-three-year-old professor, a gentle and jolly man with kind eyes and a soft voice, confessed, “All of my life I’ve struggled with performance-based acceptance (PBA). But I’ve learned that the only hope for escape is to remember my identity in Christ.” Remembering our identity in Christ, he assured us, reduces the anxiety that the idol of PBA arouses. 

I pondered his words and discovered how true they were. There are many ways that remembering our identity in Christ calms the compulsion to seek acceptance through performance. Today, I’ll share just one: when we remember that we are in Christ, we know that we belong to the Father, and our insecurities about belonging elsewhere fade away. Let me illustrate with an example.

On the first day of class, waiting for my turn to introduce myself, killer butterflies waged a ferocious battle in my gut. When my turn finally came, the class professor extended his hand toward me, saying, “This is Elizabeth, and my wife and I have been friends with Kip and Elizabeth for years.” Boom. All the butterflies flew away, and I relaxed, feeling confident and secure. What did my professor do for me? He gave me a stamp of approval that told the other guys I belonged. He removed my drive to prove my worthiness through performance. I was accepted on the basis of our relationship. 

This story reminds me of the greater truth of my identity in Christ—I am accepted by the Father on the basis of my relationship with his Son. Christ has taken on my sin and given me his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). I no longer have to advocate for myself because Jesus has already made the case for me (1 John 2:1). Not only does Jesus advocate for us; in him, we belong to the Father. We are his adopted children, and we can’t be unadopted (Ephesians 1:5). 

What incredibly good news. I could relax and enjoy class. I belonged. Not only because my friend spoke for me, but even more, because in Christ, I am secure as a member of God’s family. We are all now joined as the family of God, anticipating the day when we will never again be duped into believing our performance could make us worthy of God’s love. 

Dear friends, you may or may not be headed back to school this year, but if you believe the lie that you must perform to be accepted, I pray you will turn to Christ, remembering that he has already died that you might belong to the Father, and that belonging to the Father is the deepest and truest acceptance you’ve ever needed. 

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

Thank you for your reminder that in you, we are more than enough. We are beloved in you and we belong to you. Massage this truth down deep into our hearts. As we root our security in you, send us out to invite others to know the joyous hope of being children of God. 

Further Encouragement

Read Ephesians 1:3-14, 2 Corinthians 5:15-21; 1 John 2:1.

Listen to We Belong to You.

For Reflection

Have you ever believed that you needed to perform well to be accepted? How does remembering what is true about you in Christ help you to turn away from performance-based acceptance?

A Prayer about Stewarding Creation

by | Jul 31, 2021 | Daily Prayer, Theology

A Prayer about Stewarding Creation

Creator God,

I confess, I’m not always keen on all of your creation. 

When I work out in my pool and find frogs or salamanders or spiders, 

my first instinct is to avoid them or get rid of them. 

But your Word reminds me,

“the earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness thereof….” (Psalm 24:1) 

Everything in heaven and earth belongs to you, 

for you planned it, designed it, and created it. 

True, creation is not what it was in the beginning, 

before Adam and Eve procured the one fruit 

you had not permitted them to partake of.

Now, “the whole creation has been longing together 

in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:22). 

Until the day Jesus comes to fully restore all of your created beauty, 

make us good stewards of your earth. 

Make us rescuers of floundering salamanders and floating spiders, 

helpers of honeybees and hummingbirds, 

caretakers of forestlands and rivers and oceans, 

for all of these things declare your glory (Psalm 19:1). 

In Jesus’ renewing name. Amen. 

Read Genesis 1:1-31; Romans 8:18-24.

A Prayer about Seeing My Own Sin and God’s Grace

by | Jul 27, 2021 | Daily Prayer, Theology

A Prayer about Seeing My Own Sin and God’s Grace

Merciful Lord,

It’s impossible to read the list of sins 

describing people who don’t “see fit to acknowledge God,” 

and not see ourselves somewhere in it—

have I ever gossiped, 

speaking ill of people behind their backs? 

Have I ever been boastful and haughty, 

thinking I know the right thing to do 

about raising children, 

protecting from disease, 

or even teaching Bible study? 

Was I ever disobedient to my parents as a teenager? 

Have I ever wanted to possess what someone else has? 

Have I ever not only done these things 

but given approval to others who do them (Romans 1:32)? If so, I deserve to die for my sins (Romans 1:32).

I have, and I do.

And yet. 

By your mercy, 

through your undeserved grace, 

you have turned my heart toward Jesus 

as my only hope for salvation. 

Although I will continue to struggle 

with some of these sins 

until the day you take me home, 

“There is therefore now no condemnation 

for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

Lord, help us to take stock of our sins. 

Forgive us when we judge others’ sins 

more harshly than our own. 

Open our hearts to our one true hope for salvation. 

And empower us to fight the battle 

against besetting sin 

through the might of your sanctifying Spirit. 

In Jesus’ saving name. Amen. 

Read Romans 1:18-32; Romans 7:7-8:1.