I recently listened to Josh Gorban sing the excellent song You Raise Me Up and felt motivated to write the following…
As Christians we rightly relate to God as our Heavenly Father. In fact, Jesus taught his disciples to address God in prayer as, “Our Father, who art in Heaven…”. I assume that if you played sports or acted in school plays, or whatever your involvements when you were young, you probably experienced your father as a cheerleader; he cheered you on – to give it your best, to not give up, to not be discouraged.
But that is not what we need from our Heavenly Father. At least, I for one need so much more!
I do not need God to bolster my strength or to cheer me on, but rather I need him to actually be my strength! I do not need his encouragement to remain standing or to get back on my feet when I’ve been knocked down. I need him to actually raise me up and to enable and empower me to remain standing.
When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, God did not merely function as their cheerleader – he was so much more! When they walked in obedience and dependence upon him, he was the very source of their strength! He was the actual cause of their victories. It was not their power; it was his power operative through them, at times operating completely independent of them, that defeated their enemies. It was not their power; it was his power and gracious provision that gave them cities that were already built and farms that were already established.
“See, I [Moses] set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess…The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land… And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. The Lord will deliver them to you.. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” (excerpts from Deut. 30-31)
So, this is how we should pray…
“Dear heavenly Father, I come before you freely admitting how much I desperately need you! I do not have the wisdom or the knowledge; I do not have the resources or the strength to walk this path and face these foes. In this moment – in this hour – please be my strength! For this day, please provide and supply all that is needed! God I am wholly and completely dependent on your grace, your love, your faithfulness and your power! I choose to embrace the outworking of your will knowing it is for your glory, as well as for my good. Thank you, God, for loving and forgiving me, for saving and adopting me as one of your beloved children. In union with Christ, I come before you and lay my case at your feet! You alone are the source of all blessing, so I humbly acknowledge my dependence upon you. In Jesus name, Amen”
