“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ”
Philippians 3:8
I’ve been working on prayer lately. Really praying, with fervency and firm belief, as we are called to do. And I have already seen God respond with power. But there is one aspect I have been struggling with: praying for blessing. Trying to figure out right motivation and humility with the persistence of the widow (Luke 18:1-5) and of Jacob (Genesis 32:22-28), and what all of that looks like. What’s even right to ask for.
And in it all, thankful that God knows my heart and understands.
This devotion isn’t intended to go into all the details of that, or to spark intense discussion – it’s about what God showed me this morning.
In praying for blessing, my eyes have been on either the potential blessing in front of me or whatever God knows would be better. Desiring the right motivation, yes, I prayed that God would be glorified in the greatest way. But I still focused on the blessing.
This morning, I recognized that focus – and that it’s easy to “surrender” a potential blessing when you then fix your eyes on a greater blessing that God may have waiting and you just can’t see yet. Maybe “easy” isn’t the right term, but hopefully you all are following me here.
It still makes it about whatever I’m getting from Him. My eyes are on the “things”…they aren’t really on Him.
This became clear as I quietly sang through the song, “Give Me Jesus.”
I didn’t have any particular aim when I started singing. I was reflecting on the beauty of the morning, and it came to mind. The words came easily until I reached the line, “You can have all this world, but give me Jesus”…that’s a hard line. One I couldn’t let go. Because I don’t like to sing things I don’t mean.
So I began to wrestle. The part of me that wanted to mean it, and the heart that was focused on “things.”
I started thinking about what I had been praying for. And realizing that it’s easy to “surrender” my request by asking for “something even better.”
But what if the “even better” is simply more of Him?
Is Jesus not the richest of blessings?
Is He not the fullness our hearts are longing for, that which satisfies and fills all in all?
And my prayer began to change…because I want to mean that line. I don’t want to be afraid of losing everything, if it will gain me Jesus. I want Him to be everything, to be the foundation of my joy and the root of all I could ask for. I want the eyes of my heart to be fixed on Jesus, and to say resolutely, “Yes, Lord, I want the richest of all blessings – I want You, and whatever will give me more of You.”
Father, today, bring our hearts here, to this place where all we truly want is You. You bless us immeasurably, with blessings beyond all we can ask or imagine. And that’s wondrous. But in it all, may we fix our eyes not on the things, but on You. Because You are the richest of all. Getting You is the greatest treasure. You are the “something better.” So bless us, Lord, with the richest blessing. More of You. However that appears. Satisfy our hearts with Your steadfast love that is better than life. Fill us with Your fullness and with fullness of joy in Your presence. May we be radiant over the goodness of the Lord because we see You more clearly. Lord, we do bring all of our cares and the desires and thoughts of our hearts to You. And You hear them all, because we are Your beloved children and we matter to You. We thank You for all the good things You give us. But above all of those things, Lord, may we seek You. As much as we can get. Remind us of the fullness of all that You are. May our eyes see our King in all of His beauty, and our hearts truly be able to say,
“You can have all this world – just give me Jesus.”
In Pleasant Places 