A Gospel Thing to Experience Our Insufficiency

Scotty Smith: A Prayer for Hoping and Trusting in God's Unfailing Love

The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The warhorse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love.  Ps. 33:16-18

     Dear Lord Jesus, though it’s not fun thing, I realize it’s a good thing to come to the end of ourselves—to be at the place where all of our resources, “mojo,” and wisdom are simply not enough. Indeed, it’s a gospel thing to experience our insufficiency, lack of control, and helplessness.

     For only in those times do we fully abandon ourselves to the God who alone can part Red Seas (Ex.14); overthrow whole Midianite armies with three hundred gun-less soldiers (Judges 7); take down Goliaths with a pebble (1 Sam. 17); feed multitudes with a few fish and pieces of bread (Matt. 14); raise a dead man for the salvation of his people and the transformation of the cosmos (1Cor. 15).

     Lord Jesus, we abandon ourselves to you today, for you are that dead man who now lives. You are the One who is redeeming his Bride and making all things new. It’s your unfailing love that we can, and must, hope in. There is no other supply sufficient to the need. There is no other strength sufficient for the task. There is no other balm sufficient for the pain. There is no other rest sufficient for the exhaustion. There is no other trustworthy hope sufficient for the broken stories.

     We bring our broken hearts to you. We bring our struggling marriages to you. We bring our divided churches to you. We bring our conflicted relationships to you. We bring our battles with sin to you. We bring our wayward children to you. We bring our unbelieving friends to you. We bring our financial challenges to you.

     We bring our fragile health to you. We bring the needs of our community to you. We bring it all to you, Jesus. We will trust in you and your unfailing love. Astonish us by bringing much glory to yourself. So very Amen we pray, in your merciful and mighty name.