Day 16: 31 Days in Prayer

Day 16: 31 Days in Prayer

Verse:

What causes quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire something, but do not obtain it, so you kill; you are envious, but cannot achieve your goal, so you quarrel and fight. You have nothing, because you do not pray. Or you do pray, but you receive nothing, because you pray wrongly, for what you ask you want to spend on satisfying your desires. (James 4:1-3 - TB)

Reflection:

“Therefore, take note: what is hidden and concealed beneath a pretense of zeal for God and religion often springs from human pride, envy, greed, ambition, and revenge.” - comment from Matthew Henry We rarely think of ourselves as greedy or lustful for worldly things. We are far more likely to confess “comfortable” sins. What eventually happens is that we forget that we are just as vulnerable as anyone else to worldly desires. This has certainly happened to me many times during the two years I served the congregation in Madrid, Spain. Often I have felt the desire for more comfort, more money, more recognition, more respect, and to be appreciated and honored. We can even cover these desires with a cloak of zeal for God, as in the statement by Matthew Henry above. We may not, as Christians, tend to admit sins that other people cannot see, but we know this is happening when there are “fights and conflicts among us.” Conflict can be a symptom of a kind of greed and idolatry. In my case, what eventually happens is that I can begin looking for someone to blame when I do not get what I want or what I think “I deserve.” I can say in my heart to God, "Look at all I have done for You. Don’t I deserve this?” The reality in the verse above is that we are controlled because we do not bring these things before God or talk with Him about them in prayer. If we ask God and still do not receive it, it is because of our motives; it is because it is not truly good for us. I believe there is never a reason to blame anyone for the things we do not have. Now, I make it a habit that when I begin to feel entitled or that I “deserve better" than what I should, I pray to God instead of looking for someone to blame. It is amazing what happens during my prayer: I either realize that I am greedy and need to repent, or God gives me what I ask for because, either way, I come out a winner in God’s eyes, and that is the only recognition I need.

Challenge:

Identify the things you want or feel you deserve (make a list) and place those things before God in prayer, and make the decision not to blame anyone for not having those things. Every time feelings of "entitlement" arise again, work through them by praying. Let God give you those things or help you see that you do not need them, and remember that we never have a reason to blame others for the things we do not have.

Translated from the article “31 Days of Prayer: Day 16” by Patrick Genova