One lady prayed as she entered the new year, “Dear God, I pray for a fat bank account and a thin body. Please don’t mix these up as You did last year.”
Have you ever wondered what to pray for or how to pray?
Perhaps you’re similar to me—you get so many prayer requests that it can become overwhelming. I thought prayer was meant to be simple, honest and natural; yet at times it seems extremely confusing, perplexing and daunting.
Recently, I camped out in
No 1: To live like Jesus. “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children” (v. 1). My son said to me yesterday, “I like to copy you.” That sounded like a compliment to me, yet I received it as a great responsibility to model a life worthy to be imitated. Did you ever play with Silly Putty as a kid? Our lives are like Silly Putty, able to replicate what God is up to through our lifestyle. That is exciting and a bit frightening.
As humans we are born imitators. We in youth work challenge teens, volunteers and parents to copy Jesus. My prayer for you and me is: “Lord, help us imitate Christ so we really will live. Transform us by the renewing of our minds. Help us pray as Jesus prayed, think as Jesus thought and become more like Jesus.”
My long-time ministry buddy has leukemia and is going to need a bone marrow transplant. Medically speaking, it will be a brutal time. I asked Larry how he plans to handle all the treatments. He said, “Forced dependency on God.” What an attitude he has! So, I pray, “Lord, teach me how to imitate Jesus and allow His life to flow in and through me, especially in the hard times.”
No. 2: To love like Jesus (vv. 2-8). Paul prayed that we “live [lives] of love” and “Just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (v. 2).
Loving people as Jesus did and does can be a challenge. Chances are you will encounter some people you aren’t going to like, and you will need supernatural power to love the way Jesus does. I cannot do that without His power. What about you? It is impossible to love some people without prayer.
In the Jewish New Year called Rosh Hashanah, the focus is forgiveness of sins with people. Ten days later begins Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement (
It’s interesting that the High Holy Days start with the horizontal—you have to forgive others first, then Yom Kippur is about the vertical—asking God for forgiveness. Jesus said something similar: “If you forgive others, your heavenly Father will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Would you take a moment to pray this prayer? “Father, guide me as I learn to love_________(spouse, parent, friend, difficult person, employee, supervisor, etc.). Help me love_________as Jesus does. Guard my tongue from using careless words with_________, having a bad attitude with_________and a holier-than-thou posture toward_________. Teach me to love as Jesus loves.”
No. 3: Live in the light (vv. 9-14). D.L. Moody was fond of saying, “Character is what you are in the dark.” Light paves the way through darkness. Perhaps there is some darkness in your soul that needs the light of Christ. Maybe you are working in a toxic, dark environment. My prayer for you to use is: “Lord I want to live in the light at_________ (work, neighborhood, church, family). Help me be light before_________(boss, supervisor, relatives and employee). Amen.”
Now that is something to pray about, isn’t it?
David Olshine is professor/director of Youth Ministry, Family and Culture, Columbia International University, South Carolina; Co-founder, Youth Ministry Coaches (YouthMinCoaches.com); Author of the best-selling series Studies on the Go: Philippians; and Proverbs and his newest book is Youth Ministry: What’s Gone Wrong and How to Get it Right (Abingdon Press).
