Reading
Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Matthew 6:31-33
Reflection
One way of describing our life with God is as a slow surrender of our will to God’s. As Pastor Mark taught on Sunday, “We have to make a choice at some point about whether we’re going to continue to live for ourselves, or whether we’re going to learn to yield ourselves to God.”
While this sounds daunting, each time we pray is an opportunity of releasing our grasp on control. In his book The Deeper Journey, Robert Mulholland describes one way to do so. He writes that our daily time of prayer “is where our life hidden with Christ in God is deepened.” He offers several essential elements for these prayer times for those seeking to make God the center of their lives, and I’ve found them quite helpful personally as I’ve sought to learn to yield myself to God.
Below is an abbreviated version of what Mulholland describes. Read through it once, then spend a few minutes praying through each line.
- “New every morning is your love, and all day long you are working for good in the world.” – Take several deep breaths. As you begin your time of prayer, center yourself in God’s presence, remembering that in God “we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28)
- “Stir up in me the desire to be yours in all things today.” – Think through your plans for the day and what you are likely to encounter. Ask God to deepen your desire to live your entire life with God at the center.
- Free me from focusing on myself. – Reflect on the places in your life where your own wants are more important than loving God. Ask God what it might look like for you to let go of that thing so that you can give yourself to God.
You might close with a time of silence or praying the Lord’s Prayer.
Each day, we get to choose whether to focus on ourselves or on God. Start your day today by offering yourself to God, and begin learning to “seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness.”
