In this blog series, I'm looking at faith gaps caused by fear.
If you're like me, you tend to pray for the things you want. You pray for good things to happen. It's not often that we willingly pray for something bad to happen.
However, we instinctively know that life is not all smooth sailing. We just want to avoid the bad stuff as much as we can. We fear those days that are complicated, unsettling, or even dangerous.
Another approach is to pray the Wesleyan Covenant Prayer. Originally a prayer in the Puritan tradition, John Wesley modified it as a prayer of absolute self-offering to the Lord. When we pray it, we accept whatever comes our way, whether feast or famine, and offer every bit of our being to God's use. Honestly, it's a tough prayer to pray sincerely, releasing our fear and accepting the whole of life and God's sovereignty.
A modern version of the prayer goes like this:
I am not my own self-made, self-reliant human being.
In truth, O God, I am Yours.
Make me into what You will.
Make me a neighbor with those whom You will.
Guide me on the easy path for You.
Guide me on the rocky road for You.
Whether I am to step up for You or step aside for You;
Whether I am to be lifted high for You or brought low for You;
Whether I become full or empty, with all things or with nothing;
I give all that I have and all that I am for You.
So be it.
And may I always remember that you, O God, and I belong to each other. Amen.
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Who is ready to sign up for stepping aside, being brought low, becoming empty and having nothing, while putting everything we have at God's disposal? This is what the prayer promises. Some of my biggest fears are contained within this prayer.
I like what bell hooks (she did not capitalize her name) said: "Our fear may not go away, but it will not stand in the way." The quote was part of a larger discussion about how to live a life based on love, and how to face fear as a way to embrace love. For me, it means that I will never be able to say that I am fearless, but that I am determined to always overcome my fear.
To pray - and sincerely mean - this prayer is not merely bravery but absolute trust. For the Christian, trust is the opposite of fear. If we are to eliminate fear and grow fully into faith, this prayer is a tremendous tool to assist us.
So pray it now and pray it again and pray it tomorrow, too. Let us embed its full trust into our souls and follow God with everything we are and everything we have.
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