Today’s passage, Psalm 23:3, ends with a counter-intuitive angle.
One may assume it will read “[God] restores my soul, He guides me in paths of righteousness for MY sake.” But interestingly, it ends with “for HIS NAME’S sake.”
We all heard sermons where they sound as if we are the center of the universe, that yes God is good and He is good to us because we are precious.
That is gloriously true, but a higher truth is that EVERYTHING God does is ultimately for His glory. Yes, He loves the world so much that He gave us Jesus (John 3:16).
But before we get to be puffed up in our self-importance, passages like Ephesians 1:6 put our perspective in place: our salvation is for the praise of His grace.
Therefore, one prayer is to appeal to God’s glory, not ours. “Lord, please do this not for my sake but for Your name’s sake. It’s ultimately Your glory that I’m after.”
It sounds like we’re manipulating God or using some arm-twisting persuasion technique, but it boils down to our true motivation.
Nothing wrong with asking something for our need, but just think: if God will not grant that request because (in His mind) it will not serve the purpose of glorifying Him, will you still ask for it? And will we still seek that His reputation be magnified?
Have a thoughtful prayer life today!
August 16, 2023
0 Comments