Over my years of pastoral ministry I have often seen people
languishing in a self-centered bubble of hopelessness. It is as though this is
all they know. They believe they are worthless, have no hope of that ever
changing, and their years of trying to handle this in self-protection is
falling apart. Childhood systems of self-care do not work in the real-life
world. Even the thought of praying about such things sounds just as hopeless as
what is already inside.
How does the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ affect our
praying about such things?
When Jesus came, “proclaiming the gospel of God,” he said,
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe
in the gospel.” (Mark 1:14-15) This gives us what we need to pray about
anything, including the worthlessness and hopelessness we feel in our selves.
There is something totally different we can feel in Christ.
The time is fulfilled
We do not need to pray like God still must do something redemptive
in order to help us. The time is already fulfilled. The time of salvation has
come. What was promised has arrived. There is no further waiting for the gift
of God to enter out world and do what God promised. We must pray like the time
is fulfilled, and all that God said he would do has been provided for us in his
Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The kingdom of God is at hand
No matter what we think, feel, or believe, the kingdom of
God is at hand to do in our lives all that God provides for his people in his
kingdom. The kingdom of God is about righteousness, joy, and peace in the Holy
Spirit (Romans 14:17), so this righteousness, joy, and peace, are at hand,
waiting for us to fully enter in and experience and enjoy all that God has
provided. In every way we know we are not yet experiencing something to do with
God’s kingdom, it is at hand, waiting for us to take hold of it by faith. Pray
for it.
Repent
Agree with God that you are willing to turn away from
anything to do with the world, the flesh, and the devil. Tell God that you will
leave sin, sark, and self-protection, because they have all let you down just
as he said would happen, and you now want to see God’s ways instead of your
own. No matter what struggles we have in letting go of our sinful and
self-dependent thinking and living, we must pray our way through this, that we
want to cut ties with our own ways, in order to have what God can do far better
than anyone at all.
Believe in the gospel
What we need is in the grace of God that brings us to faith
in Jesus Christ. In prayer, we ask God for this freedom. When we hear Jesus
passing by, we cry out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” In all our
struggles we pray, “I believe! Help my unbelief!” Whatever ugly expressions of
unbelief rise up within us like our worst nightmares of fear, cry it out to God
in prayer and believe that he will do all the gospel promises. He will raise us
from the dead, he will forgive our sins, he will heal our broken hearts and
bind up our wounds, he will give sight to our blind eyes, he will release us
from our prisons, and deliver us from our oppression. The year of jubilee has
come; let us believe and pray that God will keep doing in us the impossible
things he has already done in our redemption.
And, don’t go it alone. The kingdom of God Jesus spoke about
is a place where all believers come together to live as the adopted sons of
God. We need each other. If you can’t even pray the gospel for yourself, meet
with the praying people of your church and ask them to pray this for you. Tell
them you want to believe that God can take you from where you are, and
transform you into the likeness of his Son, Jesus Christ, because he has
promised to do so, and nothing he has decided is impossible for him.
I have seen the worthlessness and hopelessness of the human
soul as up close and personal as anyone. I have also seen the truth of God’s
word liberate the captives and set them free. God has not only filled his words
with truth that will give us faith; he has also filled his word with the truth
we can pray when our faith fails us in the deepest places of our souls. And, if
you can’t pray those things for yourself, I know God will give you someone who
would love to pray the truth of God’s gospel over your life.
© 2016 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517,
Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted,
Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good
News Publishers.)
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