The prayer that follows is one I brought before the Lord
as we entered the last decade of the '90s; it seems
appropriate to share it again (with a few modifications)
as we enter a new century.
One Decade, And Now One Century, Ends . . .
Another Begins . . . Life Goes On
Even as I read the above to myself, I sense something is wrong. Christians, of all people, can't tolerate that type of thinking. We have Jesus! Our Lord has come—paid the price for our sin and is returning soon to be the ruling King!
Yes, yes, Lord, all this is true, but, Lord, as I look at myself, I find that as a Christian I do tolerate that type of thinking. I see it in my actions, Lord. When I am honest with myself and you, I see so little urgency about the way I spend the time you allot to me. Oh, yes, there are periods of anxiousness, Lord, but seldom godly urgency—that burning urgency to be about things that count for eternity. The abilities that you have given me, Lord, you know that there have been significant changes in the way I use them, but even at times like this, when I see you working through me, I am woefully aware of how seldom those abilities are really committed to your service. Lord, the same holds true concerning money. I still, all too often, look at it in terms of today and tomorrow, instead of eternity.
Lord, you have brought me a long way since that day of my salvation in 1973, but there is so much more for you to do. Father, I rejoice in your goodness, your faithfulness, and your merciful love. I thank you for my wife, children, and now, grandchildren—Oh, Lord—for so much. Most of all, I thank you for Jesus Christ. I ask you to place a burning urgency in my heart—an urgency that will be a constant reminder to me during the days or years that you have appointed for me—a reminder to be about your work. Father, I ask that your urgency spur me on to a greater willingness to die to myself and, in so doing, to present you an opportunity to reveal your wondrous glory through me to a lost and dying world—that many will be reconciled to you through the precious blood of the Savior.
Lord, make me quick to recognize when I begin to slip back into believing merely that "life goes on." In Jesus' Name and for His sake! Amen.
Won't you join me in this prayer—that the God of creation, the perfect Lamb of God, and the King of eternity will so change us that many will come to know the Savior.
What joy it will be to enjoy the fruit of a life lived with a godly urgency: those precious words . . . "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. . . ."
