One of Gods amazing
attributes is his ability to lovingly pray for us. He prays with eyes that can
see past every cover we have, they see straight through us. He prays for our
weaknesses and our shortcomings. He sees all our dirt, all our selfishness,
self righteousness, and ignorance. He sees it better than we do, better than
our spouse does. Yet he prays for us with faith, knowing what He will make of
us. He prays for us to become strong, to overcome, to become like he is. And
the amazing part is that He does this with an incomprehensible devotional love for
us. Being totally and joyfully, recklessly lovesick for us!
How difficult it
can be for us to pray for people with such purity and love.
How difficult it
can be to be aware of peoples weaknesses and then to pray over those weaknesses
with thanksgiving and love for that person.
Marriage is such a beautiful thing, the way you come to know someone so deeply. Much like Jesus who knows and sees us better than anyone else ever could, our spouse will know and see us better and more than anyone else.. or at least that is how it should be.
We get the honor
of knowing someone better than anyone else will. What will we do with that power?
Can we be like God in his humble, merciful ways of prayer?
As life goes on and I come to see Asher better and better, with all of his strengths and weaknesses I want to fall deeper in love with him. I want to increase in my thanksgiving of him.
We could choose
to focus on the negative things. Every one of us has flaws, shortcomings,
annoying tendencies, seasons where we have struggled with different kinds of
sins, but if we allow awareness of those things to occupy our thoughts we are
willfully walking into the dark expanse of unrighteous judgment. That judgment
will turn into unthankfullness and then resentment and eventually hatred.
Jesus's ability to pray is truly amazing. It is like walking a tight rope. It is an incredible thing to know a human deeper than anyone else does, to know their weaknesses better than anyone else does and then to pray (focus) on those weaknesses in a loving way, with a spirit full of joy over the strength that will replace that weakness. To be sincerely thankful for who they are and steadfast in our faithfulness to love them deeply.
We very easily wobble off that rope and fall into self-righteous criticism. It is a fast and fatal plummet to more destruction. I know because I've fallen and you can't be close to God when you are full of anger and judgment. You can’t be full of joy when you are far from God. And slowly all that is good will corrupt. It takes only a little bit of yeast to slowly destroy love.
