My Prayer for You
Prayer is such a delightful and yet often disappointing thing. I’ve talked a lot about prayer over the last few years as I have been wrestling with prayer in my own life. A while back I came across this paragraph in Philippians and saw it in a new way. I see this as a prayer that God, through Paul, has given for each of us to pray for ourselves and others. Here is the prayer: 9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. This is a prayer that each of us needs, regardless of our life situation. Having a love that abounds more and more in all discernment would be a wonderful thing for each of us. Who doesn’t need to “approve the excellent things”? I hope each of us desires to be sincere and without offense. This won’t happen without God’s help. Finally, I think we would not turn away from a God who fills us with the fruits of righteousness through Jesus Christ. I encourage you to put these words on a card or on a screen saver to remind you that these words are God’s plan for you and for those for whom you pray. These words are not a “mantra” or a formula. However, these words contain elements of God’s design for each of us and they are very, very good. This is my prayer for you today. “I pray that your love may about more and more in knowledge and all discernment. May God direct your paths and help you to grow in love toward those in your life and those He will put in your life. May you approve the things that are excellent, spending your time and energy on those things. May you rely on the Holy Spirit to help you be sincere and without offense (and may you reach out for forgiveness when that doesn’t happen). May you be filled with the fruits of righteousness such as joy, peace, love, patience, goodness, faith, etc… and may those fruits be evident in your life. And may all of this be to the praise and glory of our great Savior, Jesus Christ”. Amen!