Psalm 51:10-12
Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Some people seem to have the idea that children are born innocent, perfect, and with sinless little hearts — before they have children of their own and experience the temper tantrums which occur when the little ones are hungry, wet, sleepy or just out of sorts. It simply confirms the reality that we are born of the sinful seed of our first parents, Adam and Eve.
I can recall some of the gigantic arguments my siblings and I would get into. Each one wanted to be the boss of the others, so we would be barking orders that nobody seemed to want to heed. There was one expression which stands out in my mind as a true indication of rebellion: MAKE ME! Those two words very often preceded a scuffle.
I hadn’t thought much about those words until recently. I don’t know why, but I have been struck by the words we use in many of our prayers: “Lord, make me . . . !” It makes me wonder if we do much thinking before we phrase our prayers. Does praying “Lord, make me . . . ” imply that God should do to and for us what He tells us to do in obedience?
Let me think for a minute here. (That is hard for me to do, so please be patient.) When I pray “Lord, make me loving,” does that mean that the Lord is to override my unloving behavior and suddenly make me loving? When I pray “Lord, make me a blessing to others,” does that mean unless God sends a bolt of lightening from heaven to open my eyes to see the needs of others, I can remain indifferent to their plight?
I hate it when I ask these types of questions. It always gives me the feeling that I am talking to myself and I start squirming! But that is what we all need to do. We should constantly evaluate our words and actions, being guided by the Holy Spirit to show us our inner motives.
There’s a portion of a poem I recall by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. I think it was in a work called “To A Louse.” Here are the words: “O wad some power the gifie gie us to see oursels as ithers see us! It wad frae mony a blunder free us, An’ foolish notion!” Cecil’s interpretation: Oh would some power the gift giver (God) give us to see ourselves as others see us! It would from many a blunder and foolish notion free us!”
My desire is that my prayers be so transparent and open that there is no hint of pride and pretense. Yes, that is what I said. It is very possible that even our prayers are areas in which too much self shows through. You may want to go back to Luke 18:10-14 and read Jesus’s parable of the Pharisee and Publican. Both prayed in the temple—the Pharisee with great boasting words of his spirituality, but the Publican only looked within and saw his sinful condition and asked for God’s mercy.
What does this all mean? I think what I am trying to get across is that we need to go beyond our words. It is not enough to merely pray that God will “MAKE US” into what we desire, but that we will act in obedience to what He says in His Word. God always wants us to be more like Him in all ways. It is not so much asking Him for what He says we are to be, but in obeying His commands . . . which will transform us into who He wants us to be.
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil