Change Me, Lord!

One very important aspect of prayer and what it does for us:  It purges, prunes, and changes us.  Prayer reveals what needs to be changed or corrected in us.  Hebrews 12:6 says that "whom the Lord loves, He chastens (corrects)."

Often we "ask amiss" [ James 4:3] when we pray.  We pray for what we WANT, but God gives us what we NEED! 

We're so preoccupied with praying to change people or change our circumstances that we have little time to allow prayer to change us!  We think God is pleased by our efforts to back Him up against a wall and demand or threaten Him to keep His promises.  We cry out, "I want what's coming to me...I deserve it!  You are bound by Your Word.  You must give it to me, or I 'll know Your Word isn't true!"  This is WHY we miss the true meaning of faith and prayer. 

We see God only as a GIVER and ourselves as the RECEIVERS.   However, prayer and faith are the avenues by which we become (are transformed into) GIVERS.  We are to give Him all our sins, shortcomings, selfishness, and failures.  In exchange, He gives us all that we have need of:  Forgiveness, mercy, grace, and unconditional love.  His love includes chastening (correcting us when we go astray, disobey, or refuse to submit to His discipline).

We are so SELF-CENTERED and SELFISH (it's-all-about-me-mentality).  We need to become SELFLESS (think of ourselves less and of God more).

May our prayer be, "change me, Lord!  Change me more into Your likeness!"