Meme Critique #2

A Prayer That Sounds Christian but Needs Testing

Dear God, let me be content with who I am, what I have, and where you are leading me. Help me to have a mindset of confidence, courage, and thankfulness all day long. Amen. Now, prayer is a great way to start our day.

Most of this meme I would say is good to pray, but most is not good enough. Most is not all, and that is how falsehoods creep in. Paul describes false teaching like a mere pinch of yeast or leaven. Though placed in the multiple cups of good ingredients for unleavened bread, the slightest pinch of yeast will multiply and grow.

Contentment, False Teaching, and the Danger of Leaven

Galatians 5 .9. It only takes a little bit of irreverent, empty chatter, and a mostly true statement to spread the lie like gangrene. 2 Timothy 2 .17. Now to be content with what we have and where God is leading us, these are good things to pray.

As scripture instructs us to keep our life free from love of money and to be content with what we have, for God has said, I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we can confidently say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear.

What can man do to me? Hebrews 13 .5 -6. This is only one of the many other verses relaying how contentment is one of the character traits of a Christian, but should we be praying for God to make us content with who we are?

Who We Are Apart from Christ

First, just who are we apart from Christ? Ephesians states that we, mankind and humans, are born children of wrath, who follow the prince of the power of the air, who works in the sons of disobedience.

All of us are born dead in trespasses and sins. Ephesians 2 .1 -3. This is who we are. Dear friend, knowing this, are you content with remaining this way? Being born children of wrath, should we continue to pray that God grants us peace to be content in this sinful state?

No. God himself was and is not content with our state. In eternity past, the Godhead determined that the Father would send the Son to take the wrath we deserve, as he took our sins upon himself, making full payment for them.

Christ's Atoning Work and Our New Identity

1 Peter 1 .18 -21. Therefore, providing for us what we need to be made right with God and to bring us to Christ, who not only is the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus, Romans 3 .26, but now, because of God, those of us who believe are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.

So therefore, as Scripture says, let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 1 .30 -31. Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation.

The old has passed away, behold, the new has come. 2 Corinthians 5 .17. The Holy Spirit, given to us, guides us by his word, the truth, John 17 .17, conforming us little by little, day by day, to be like Christ.

Daily Prayer Against Sin and Temptation

Nowhere in Scripture are we instructed to be content with who we are, nor to pray to God asking him to cause us to be content with who we are. Becoming content in who we are brings complacency in fighting against sin, and leads us to boast in ourselves as we depend on ourselves.

Instead, we should understand our daily need to pray as Jesus instructed to, forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Matthew 6 .12 -13.

Christ's instructions given here reveal how we are to be uncontent with our sins, daily asking for forgiveness and protection against the evil, and striving to be like Christ our Lord and Master, who continually did the will of the Father.

Yes, we fail daily, and daily depend on and trust in the gospel, but it is our daily dependence on this gospel that drives us to be uncontent with our fleshly state and strive to be more like Christ. Now what about asking God to give us a mindset of confidence, courage, and thankfulness?

Confidence and Courage Rooted in Christ, Not Self

While in Scripture we have plenty of verses instructing us to be thankful, there is so much to be thankful for as a disciple of Christ. All that we need has been given to us in Christ, but does Scripture say anything about having a mindset of confidence or courage?

Well, yes, but the confidence and courage is rooted in something and someone. Many popular teachers and preachers want you to be confident. You are great. You are awesome. God thought you were worth saving and that is how much he loves you.

Now these types of teachings all point to ourselves, confidence in ourselves, and confidence turned inward is pride. There is a cautionary tale in Scripture of a mighty king and his confidence in who he was and what he had done.

Perhaps you've heard it too. His name was King Nebuchadnezzar. We can read the record of God's work in his life in Daniel 4 as God made low King Nebuchadnezzar to tear down his pride and take from him his confidence in himself and what he thought he achieved.

The kingdom was taken from him and he was driven out from among men and his dwelling was with the beasts of the field, Daniel 4, 31 to 32. And a beast he lived as until the king came to know that the most high rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will, Daniel 4, 32.

Like King Nebuchadnezzar, we should know that it is in God's grace that we have what we have and it is sufficient for us. Even in our weakness, Christ's power is made perfect. Like Paul, we can boast in our weaknesses so that Christ's power may rest on us.

From him comes our courage. It is Christ in whom all our confidence should reside. The more we know him, the more we trust in him. The more courageous we are in our actions as fear is cast aside in confidence of our Lord and Savior.

This prayer should request that God, in his grace, grant us knowledge and understanding of Christ and contentment in him, thereby increasing our confidence, courage, and thankfulness in and because of him.