"It's Not About Me!"

I proudly declare to whoever will listen, "There's not a prayer you've prayed that God hasn't answered!"  

I respond to the quizzical look with, "You may not have recognized the answer because it didn't coincide with what you'd already decided it should be.   Or you just didn't like the answer He sent.  Or it plainly inconvenienced you.  But God answered your prayer!  God has answered every prayer prayed according to James  4:3,  'And if you ask (God), you won't receive it because you're asking with corrupt motives' (4;3, tPt). 

Sometimes, I have to conduct a Q&A that sounds like this: "Why am I so sure? Because He answers me each and every time I've asked.  Plus, He is no respecter of persons, that how. I used to be a skeptic---until I couldn't be! God was batting 1,000 and I got tired of swinging and missing.  I started paying attention to how often (always) He answered" (And yes, I've often been called long-winded).  

Recently, however, I wavered in my conviction, which prompted a previous blog, "Precious Holy Spirit."  I had ended it by asking God to help me.  And He did! He revealed that I had been using pronouns incorrectly.  Here's how that came to be.  I'd been taught that a subject,  predicate, and object comprised a sentence. A noun or pronoun (Sally/I) introduced a subject; a verb (ran) showed action, and an object (home)  completed the sentence.  Thus, "Sally (or I) ran home." Of course, sentence structure increased in complexity along with grade levels.  No problem. 

In turn, I'd presented the lesson in the same way to thousands of middle and high school students. Which was fine in a language arts or English class.  In error, however, I had approached prayer in the same manner, as  I would have a declarative sentence  Since I was the one in need, I became the subject, while the predicate identified what I needed, which put God as the object and not the subject. Last Sunday. Pastor J. cogently and gently explained the difference.  

God is!   Pastor J related the story of Gideon and his journey from self-doubt to victory (Judges  6-8).  As she recounted how God directed Gideon' to reduce his army of 32,000 soldiers to a mere 300 and go against the 135,00 strong Midianites, the light bulb became a strobe!  I had been praying as if the answer would come from the strength and fervor of my prayers! Consequently, I had relegated God to a bit-player role.  Oh. My. Goodness!  Yet, because of His love, His grace is sufficient and He still answered (and answers) my prayers.

I've often heard that "ignorance is bliss. " (Grand) Mama would say God takes care of babies and fools.) Surely, I fit somewhere in her description.  I'd been a happy soul in the egotism of my prayers.  Then, "It's NOT about me" reverberated like a powerful gong in my soul!  "I've got it twisted. God is the Potter; I am the clay.  Have I been praying to my ego? Have my fleshly desires contorted the eloquence that comes only from the Holy Spirit? Father, forgive me!"

I know that I know that I know God is! Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent.  My Lily of the Valley, Bright and Morning Star.  My Alpha and Omega.  My El Shaddai, Elyon. Adoni. Jireh. Nissi. Rophe. Shalom. Tsidkenu. M'Kaddesh. Shammah. Sabaoth. Rohi. Hoseenu. Eloheenu. Elohim. Elokay.  I Am Who I Am.  It's NOT about me!  

My journey to spiritual awareness continues.  Praise the Lord!