December 16

‘Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God…praying always…’ – Ephesians 6:13, 18

   OC has talked at length about our role in intercessory prayer for others, but what about prayer for ourselves? How should we pray for ourselves? Often, our prayer sounds more like a wish list to Santa, than a heartfelt effort to become closer to God. OC notes that we should be praying to God against the things that are keeping us from Him.

   The rub lies in the distinction between God’s order and His permissive will. God’s order is the thing to which we should strive. We pray against the things that deter and divert our attention from Him and His law in our lives. These distractions are a result of Man’s manipulation of the world and are allowed because God grants us free will. God intends that we choose to love Him rather than to have love forced upon us.

   Forced love is not love at all. As far as I’m concerned the meaning of life is this: We are given this life in order that we might choose God, come to God, and help others to know Him through our example. Case closed. It’s that simple.

   In creating a world where love is not mandated and free will is permitted, God created a world in which distractions become possible. A vacuum exists when God’s love is absent and Man has filled that vacuum with worldly distractions. However, the world can only produce round pegs to God’s square hole. Nothing else satisfies the yearning we all feel except the love of God.

   What’s more, it is necessary to pray against the things that keep us from God before we can be effective in intercession for others. If we are not complete in Christ then we cannot hope to be complete advocates for others before Him.