A Prayer for Purpose and Transformation
By Jessica Van Roekel
“In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 1:4-6, NIV
I can remember when I first received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. My heart filled with peace, and a heavy burden lifted. I knew I would never be alone, and hope would always be mine. I grew hungrier and hungrier for God and his Word. I wanted to know him more and more. But time passed, and life went on with hardship after hardship. I came to a crossroads: would I remember God and my original response to him, or would I go my own way? I chose him and embarked on a journey of purpose and transformation.
We experience spiritual salvation by God’s grace and our act of faith in him. His grace is unearned favor, love, and the enablement to finish our race. We get the privilege to faithfully complete our journey on earth. Purpose and transformation happen through the surrender of our daily lives to God. While we do not gain salvation through works, we do express our salvation through ongoing spiritual growth and development. Salvation is a gift lived out and fulfilled through a continual, daily surrender to Jesus Christ to follow his purposes. This takes great determination on our part while we rely on God’s grace for that determination. Following God is a beautiful partnership through our willingness to say yes to God every day, our faith, and God’s strength and empowerment through us.
Hebrews 13:20-21 supports this concept and says, “Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” (ESV)
God’s work within us depends on our faithfulness and cooperation. When we face hardships, do we turn to the world’s wisdom for help, or do we turn to God’s word? When we struggle with fellow followers of Jesus Christ, do we turn away from the body of Christ or turn toward Christ for guidance through the struggle? God works in us if we let him. He takes our yes and works by his Spirit to produce within us the desire and the power to do what is good and right and to fulfill his purpose for our lives.
We don’t come to God in a completed, perfect state. We come to him when we’re in the middle of our God-defying way of life and recognize we need him, so we turn from our own way to follow him. This takes us on the path to transformation and purpose. In reliance on him, we resist the temptation to live in defiance of his ways. To find our purpose, we allow the desires of the Holy Spirit to become ours. We find victory over evil when we use every God-given means to overcome available to us. Transformation happens when we take on Jesus Christ’s character. God is faithful to complete the work he began in you when you responded to his invitation to receive his salvation by grace.
Let’s pray:
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for sending your son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sin and to rise from the dead to conquer spiritual death once and for all. Transform me, Lord. Make me into a reflection of you. Let me take the seriousness of reverence for you and give me a passionate pursuit of your purposes for my life. You do not force yourself into my life, but I don’t want to resist your call. I surrender my life and my days to you. I know I will face hardships and I may forget to rely on you and to trust in you. Turn my eyes to you and remind my heart of my commitment to follow you all the days of my life. I want your work to be evident in my heart as I choose faithfulness toward you. I will cooperate with your Holy Spirit to transform me. Take my willing heart and make me into a reflection of you.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
Photo credit: ©GettyImages/kieferpix
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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Originally published Monday, 01 April 2024.
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