Prayer: The Renouncing of our Effort

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.”
Proverbs 3:5

As we have stated already, outside of our salvation there is no greater privilege afforded to the believer than the privilege of prayer. The King of kings and Lord of lords, the Creator of all has granted us the opportunity to speak with Him face to face. As we seek to understand this awesome privilege, we want to see this week that prayer is not only a proclamation of our faith, but it is also the renouncing of our own effort.

There is perhaps no greater source of pride than the pride that comes from our independence. We love the thought of freedom, being able to do as we choose and as we please. We seek to instill in children when they are small a sense of independence. We want them to be able to tie their own shoes and to make their own bed. Yet this sense of independence is at times detrimental to our spiritual life. Solomon tells us in Proverbs 3 that we need to trust in the Lord with all our heart. The word trust means to place our full confidence in the Lord. The verse goes further, and we are told to lean not unto our own understanding. When we pray, we proclaim our faith in God’s ability and we acknowledge our need before Him. Our trust is to be placed in the Lord and His ability to supply, to heal, to give wisdom, to strengthen, etc.. When we pray we acknowledge that it is not by our effort that things will change, but that God alone is able.

I am often reminded of this truth in light of the ministry and the church. It is not the effort of man that will bring the increase, it is “... God that giveth the increase.” (1 Corinthians 3:7). As you pray, remember that this life is not about you. Renounce your efforts and trust fully in the Lord.

Pastor Jeffrey Bateman