One quick Google search would be all I would need to tell you about George Washington. I could tell you his date of birth, place of birth, his parents’ names, his wife’s name, his major accomplishments, etc. etc.
But you wouldn’t say I really know George Washington, would you? Instead, I would just know about him.
On the other hand, I can recite all of the same information about my wife, but nobody would argue that I actually know her. Why? Because I can tell you about her personality, what she’s like from day to day, how she responds in various situations, etc.
Too often, though, it’s easy to know about God without actually knowing God.
It’s possible to read the Bible and pray every day and still not really know God or feel His presence in our lives from day to day. Maybe you’ve felt that distance. Maybe, like me, God has at times seemed incredibly impersonal and distant to you.
I believe one of the primary reasons is that we don’t often see God at work in our day to day lives. When we don’t see Him at work in our day to day lives, it’s often because we’re not living our day to day lives for Him. We want God to play a role in our purposes, but the Bible promises us a chance to play a role in His purpose.
Praying these 4 prayers each day will help plant the S.E.E.D. of growth in your relationship with God.
Secret sins – Help me see the sins I’m committing but of which I’m unaware
Praying as David did in Psalm 19:12 and 139:23-24 does several things for our walk with our Father. It helps us stay humble, reminding us that we will never be perfect here and always have room to grow. It reminds us of Jesus’ grace and how we’re dependent on it every day. And, it helps us be dependent on God every day for our growth. His goal for us isn’t just to make it to heaven, it’s for us to become like Christ (Romans 8:29). When we ask God to help us do so, we start to see opportunities for growth and change every time we open the Word. We start to be conscientious of habits and actions that need to be replaced as we go about our days. In short, we’ll see God’s hand in our lives over and over as we pray this prayer.
Encouragement – Help me see a fellow Christian I can encourage
The “one another” commands (“Love one another,” “serve one another,” “encourage one another,” etc.) throughout the New Testament teach us that our Christianity is not an individual pursuit. The love of Christ that fills our hearts naturally leads us to love the family God has given us. When we pray this prayer it keeps our family on our hearts and minds. It gives us a daily reminder of our responsibility toward them. It invites God to show us where they are weak and in need of strengthening.
Evangelism – Help me see people I can evangelize
The Great Commission’s “Go” in Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15 gives the implication that God’s people are to live sent. Everywhere we go we’re carrying the mission of spreading the message of Jesus Christ. When we pray this prayer, we’re acknowledging that duty and asking for help to carry it out.
Because evangelism is difficult, it’s terribly easy for us to let it slip to the back burner. Like Moses, we can be quick to make excuses while forgetting that it is God who made our tongues, God who gave us the message, and God whose power will be shown in the end. Praying this prayer helps us keep each of those things in mind, along with a regular reminder of the need to be active in evangelism.
Better yet, pray for specific people by name. Doing so leads us to pursue occasions to share Christ with them and be constantly attentive for open doors of opportunity. When we pray this way, we’re asking God to remind us that their souls are too precious and their eternity is too important to be neglected.
Dependence – Do whatever it takes to draw me closer to You
This might be the most difficult prayer a person can pray. When we ask God this, we should be prepared to have our idols smashed and our comfort zones pulled right out from under us. It’s a full acknowledgment of what Paul realized in talking about his thorn in the flesh in 2 Corinthians 12 – whatever weakness, persecution, or difficulty draws me closer to Christ is a good thing.
No matter how true we know it is, that’s a hard statement to accept. However, if we truly want to walk closely to Him and we’re willing to lose whatever it may cost us to do so, this request will be a regular feature of our prayers. Yes, we’ll probably lose some of our comforts in the meantime, but we’ll gain a closeness with God that nothing in the world can replace.
So much about how we talk about God is based in our personal endeavors. So much of the help and closeness He promised us, though, is related to our efforts to live for Him. If we truly want to know God and see His hand in our lives, the best way to do so is to submit and let Him start calling the shots.
What are other prayers we can pray to ask God to take an active role in our lives? Please share any you may have in the comments.
