A Prayer About Gospel Warfare
For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:22-25
Dear Lord Jesus, though I’m conflict avoidant, by nature and choice, this is one conflict about which I am actually excited. The very fact that there’s a war going on inside of me is a good thing, especially since the combatants are the gospel and my sinful nature. For this means that the outcome of this war has already been decided. The gospel will prevail! Yet I’m not naïve about the “mop up” operation. Growing in grace is great, but it sure gets messy and intense.
The only reason I now delight in God’s law, in my heart of hearts, is because the demands of the law drove me to you, Jesus. I needed a substitute and a Savior, not a model and a coach. You perfectly met all the requirements of God’s law for me and you’ve exhausted his judgment against all my law breaking. This is the good news, indeed.
The messy and intense part come from your commitment to make me like yourself. You seem to be more committed to getting “heaven” in me than getting me into heaven. Why couldn’t you have just glorified me after justifying me? It would’ve been so much easier. Why couldn’t we have just skipped over the whole sanctification process?
Okay, enough of my silly questions. I’m just so very thankful to know that one Day I will be as loving and as lovely as you, for the Father will bring to completion the good work he has begun in me. Until that Day, here’s my prayer, Jesus: First, let me continue to grieve the sinfulness of sin, the sinfulness of my sin. Now that I’m no longer guilty or condemned for my sin, let me really see it, hate it and repent of it. I want to increase in my love for holiness and decrease in my self-contempt. Only the gospel can bring such freedom.
Secondly, help me to love you with the delight and devotion you deserve. Lord Jesus, you are the end of all my wretchedness. You are the one who is rescuing me from this “body of death”-all the effects and residue of the fall, all the trappings of my grave clothes, every semblance of every way I’m not like you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! So very Amen, I pray, in your most powerful and loving name.
