A Prayer for Strength in the Face of Temptation
I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13)
Jesus, this verse has been underlined in my Bible, pasted on my refrigerator, even stitched in needlepoint by my grandmother. But today I need to believe this promise and see your faithfulness at work. I’m desperate for the strength you alone can give, Jesus. There are powerful temptations blasting away at my heart relentlessly. You’ve promised that I will never be in any circumstance that will not also find you providing a way of escape. Show me the way, dear Jesus.
There are people who have more functional power over my heart than you, Jesus. That’s my issue, not theirs. Their praise can “complete me,” and their rejection can ruin a perfectly good day or week. Give me your strength to take back my heart from the influence of such people. I cannot love anyone to whom I have given such idolatrous power.
There are people in my life who are choosing to live very destructively. Marriages, health, and your glory are on the line. I need strength, Jesus, to get involved where, frankly, I’d rather not. It would be much easier just to “pray from afar” than to run after a prodigal or two. Strengthen me so that I will not wimp out. You pursued me, and you pursue me still. Be such a persistent lover through me in these messy situations.
Lastly, Jesus, I need strength even to seek you, and I am embarrassed to confess it. Lately it’s much easier to watch TV than to read the Scriptures. It’s a higher priority to exercise my body for vanity than my heart for godliness. I gossip quicker than pray. I make all kinds of excuses why I am not in rich fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Jesus. The truth is, I have a lazy heart, exhausted from lesser things. Give me strength to return to my first love, Jesus, for you alone are worthy of my heart’s affection, adoration, and allegiance. I pray in your gracious name.
Amen.