What To Pray If You Want To Change The World (And Yourself) (Part 2): Push Me
TO START
As our world continues to be altered by the reminder of the fact that the evils of sin are present in the form of individual racism and systematic injustice in our country, we want to encourage your group to spend time again in a posture of prayer as we consider the pain and grief of those who have experienced and continue to experience injustice and racism by asking God to intervene.
So, we would love for you to start group tonight by praying this together:
“Heavenly Father,
Help us not to lose you in the anger and rage; in the dissenting opinions and in the clamoring of picking sides. You are our King; You alone reign over our hearts. Help us, Lord.
Help us to remain in You as we remain in difficult, possibly uncomfortable discussions. Help us to stave off the temptation to turn this into a political fray and to be reminded that our faith transcends political ideologies. It rises above everything. Our faith demands we answer a higher calling. Help us, Lord.
Help us to be the catalyst of real, lasting change. With so many powers actively sowing discord and hatred and delighting in evil, help us to be brave enough to boldly respond with acts of righteousness and with preemptive strikes of holiness in this battle versus evil. Help us to truly share the burdens of our brothers and sisters and hear the cry of the hurting in this hour of need. Raise up your people to stand against racism.
Help us, Lord.
In your name. Amen.”
TO DISCUSS & TO READ
This week, we continued the series, What to Pray if You Want to Change the World (And Yourself). Part 2 which focused on the prayer, “Push me” . Before discussing the questions below, Read Romans 12:1-2.
Justin quoted the philosopher and theologian, Soren Kierkegaard saying, “The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays”
In your experience with prayer, does this seem to be true? Do you feel changed and different in seasons of life where you pray more fervently and regularly?
Inversely, do you tend to feel stagnant and frustrated when your life is prayer-less?
Have you ever prayed for God to push you or take you out of your comfort zone?
How often do you feel the urge to feel the opposite (i.e. God protect me, God shield me, God keep me comfortable - not all bad)?
In many ways, this prayer “Push Me”, is asking God to help us to “Be Changed (And Changing)”
So, how do you believe God is calling you to be changed and transformed right now? Do you have an example of when you asked God to push you and He did?
TO PRAY
Invite your group to think about one thing God might be pushing them too. Feel free to do a prayer in which you can enable folks to name what they feel God is pushing them towards.
“God, Push Me….”
OR
Pray this prayer… the Litany of Humility (A Push Me Prayer):
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed,
Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...
That others may be loved more than I,
Jesus, grant me the grace to desire it.
That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world,
others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…
Amen.