“Self-belittlement, self-exaltation, and self-pity all indicate a preoccupation with self. Inordinate attention to self is the exact opposite of God’s commandments to love Him and others. A self-focus also prohibits the development of a Christlike servant attitude in you. If you try to save your life by focusing on self, you will reap certain consequence; instead of saving your life, you will lose it.” ~ John Broger
Developing a kingdom-centered prayer life can be difficult because of our self-centered tendencies. We will experience grueling low spots and trials in life; it’s part of the human experience. Despite our present circumstances, our prayer life must remain consistent and focused on others’ welfare, creation, and not ourselves. We can pray for ourselves if others are blessed, but other than that, May Your will and not mine should be the cornerstone of our prayer life. The norm is to pray only when we benefit from the blessing, and if we are not to be blessed, then prayer is easy to dismiss and only engage when there is an emergency. When we struggle with prayer, we need to inventory if our hang-up is with God or our present circumstances. More often than not, it’s not our approach to prayer that is the problem; it’s our idea of who God is that’s the problem. Or, is our problem that we may not personally benefit from our prayer? Either way, it’s a clear sign that selfishness and self-centeredness are rearing their ugly heads in our relationship with God. Pray for the right action to take, and God will lead you back to the practice of an other-centered and kingdom-focused prayer life.
Scripture Readings
Reflection Questions
- What did you take away from today’s reflection and scripture readings?
- How is your prayer self-centered?
- What are some of your hang-ups with prayer?
- What are some of your victories with prayer?
- In what ways can your prayer life improve?
- How often is your prayer life based on God blessing you in some fashion?
Prayer
Lord, thank You for loving me and being patient with me. I know my extreme self-centered tendencies find their way in my conversations with You. My prayer time can be nothing more than sharing my wish list for You, hoping you fulfill my request. Lord, remove this selfishness in our relationship and guide my prayer and meditation on a kingdom path, where my thoughts and prayers are focused on others. May Your will and not mine materialize, now and forever, Amen.
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