The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
September 9, 2001
In
This Issue:
"Coming
Clean with the Lord"
By
Dennis J. DeHaan
Coming Clean With the Lord
Jason had misbehaved, so his mother sent him to his room. A short time later, he came out and said to his mother, "I've been thinking about what I did and I said a prayer." His mother, pleased with his attitude, encouraged his behavior. "That's wonderful. If you ask God to make you good, I know He will help you." "But I didn't ask Him to help me be good," Jason said, "I asked Him to help you put up with me."
Prayers like Jason's are not uncommon. We don't like to admit that we may be to blame for the problem, so we petition the Lord to change other people or our circumstances. In doing so, we focus on secondary problems and avoid the heart of the matter - our own heart. Praying about our circumstances is effective only when we come clean with the Lord about our own sin. In David's prayer in Psalm 51, he first asked for mercy (v.1). Then he acknowledged his sin (v.3), asked for a clean heart (v.10), and asked for a restoration of the joy of his salvation (v.12). When David confessed the shameful deeds of adultery and murder (II Samuel 11), he made no excuses.
God wants nothing less than our total honesty when we talk with Him. We may have to struggle with ourselves - that kind or praying is not always comfortable - but it's most profitable.
By Dennis J. De Haan
Christianity Magazine
Sept/Oct 1999