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A PRAYER FOR THE NEW YEAR (Ephesians 1:17, 18)
By Ted Schroeder
December 30, 2012
When facing the uncertainties of the New Year and our ignorance of what the future holds, what can we do? We can look at the weather forecast to determine what we should expect and how to dress for the day ahead, but we cannot forecast what will happen with the stock market, what will happen to our loved ones, what will happen to our own health. We may plan for our future very responsibly, but we cannot cover every eventuality. Robert Schuller preached, and taught and lived, "Possibility Thinking": the gospel of self-esteem, where to be born again means that we must be changed from a negative to a positive self-image. He built the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California and the Hour of Power telecast, but he could not have foreseen the sibling rivalry of his children and the subsequent bankruptcy of his church and the loss of his own personal assets.
As followers of Jesus we walk by faith and not by sight, i.e. we rely upon our beliefs, our convictions, about God's purpose, his foreknowledge and predestination (2 Cor.5:7; Rom.8:29). We believe that God is working out his purposes in our lives. How do we find out that purpose and seek to cooperate with God's working? This calls for the prayer of faith.
"I ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory, to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians." (The Message)
What is God calling you to do in the New Year - in your relationships, in your finances, in your community involvement, in your church life, in your vocation, in your character, in your prayer life, in your devotional life? What is the immensity of the glorious way of life he has for you? How can you fulfill God's purpose for your life in the New Year?
The future is unknown. Whatever is unknown to us is scary. We like to know where we are going. We like to have enough knowledge to be able to know what we have to deal with, what we need to handle, what we need to do. Yet, we cannot know what the future holds. "Now listen, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.'" (James 4:13-15)
All the more reason for us to seek to know God's will. What is God calling you to do? What is his will for your life? It is important to find out what it is. How do we find out? God has given us the means of prayer.
"Lord, give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that I may know you and your will better. I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened so that I may know the hope to which you have called me, so that I can see exactly what it is you are calling me to do, and that you will give me the strength to do it." (NIV)
If you want your life to fulfill God's highest and best for you - if you want to live according to God's purpose - if you want to do the right thing, to be the person God made you to be - if you want to become like Jesus, to follow him, to receive the strength of his resurrection and ascension power –if you want to accomplish your God-given potential - if you want to avoid wasting your time on earth - you will pray this kind of prayer. This is a prayer you can pray every day. It is a prayer for guidance, for wisdom, for direction, for vision.
Paul wants us to know that God's call makes a radical and positive change in what the future holds for us and that we can experience the power of the resurrected and ascended Christ to accomplish his purposes.
Paul's prayer is threefold: 1.Give us the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we may know God better. 2. Give us the inner discernment to know the hope to which he has called us. 3. Give us the power of the resurrected and ascended Christ to accomplish his purposes.
"He who hopes in God trusts God, whom he never sees, to bring him to the possession of things that are beyond imagination." (Thomas Merton)
We can hope in God, trust in God, even though we cannot see what lies ahead - the unknown future. We do not know what will happen tomorrow. Yet we believe that the Lord will bring us to the possession of things that are beyond our imagination. We need to pray for the gift of increased imagination, that will overcome our unbelieving limitations - our lack of faith and hope. Jesus asked, after teaching the disciples to persevere in prayer when there is much to discourage them from continuing: "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8) Can we pray this prayer of faith, to grow in faith?
We have a problem of diminished expectations, or lack of imagination about what God wants us to be, and to do, and to accomplish. We paddle in the shallows at the water's edge when he wants us to launch out into the deep, cast our net on the other side of the boat, and even walk on water towards him. (Matthew 14:22-33) John Ortberg has written about this in his book, IF YOU WANT TO WALK ON WATER YOU'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF THE BOAT. Jesus will meet us if we are willing to step out in faith and act on what he is calling us to do.
We fear risking, and we don't see the possibilities of faith. We stay in our comfort zones and fail to respond to God's call to serve him. We let others lead the way, and do what needs to be done, while we enjoy the benefits. We remain spectators and consumers rather than being willing to join the team and play in the game. We refuse to serve when called upon to advance the kingdom.
The New Year is a blank slate. The future gives us the opportunity to dream new dreams, to do what needs to be done, to turn a page, to write a new chapter of our lives, to fulfill a need, to make a difference, to act on what we believe God is calling us to do. We need to grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for us Christians. "God is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." (Eph.3:20)
What is God calling you to be this coming year? Make it a matter of prayer each day. "I ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory, to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians." (The Message)
"Lord, give me the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that I may know you and your will better. I pray that the eyes of my heart may be enlightened so that I may know the hope to which you have called me, so that I can see exactly what it is you are calling me to do, and that you will give me the strength to do it." (NIV)
(My new book, WHY AM I? Our Meaning, Purpose, Happiness, Fulfillment, Destiny, is now available. Follow my blog on www.ameliachapel.com/blog)
