Note: This prayer meditation is first and foremost designed to be listened to, so we encourage you to listen to the audio as you read along.
WEEK 9 – I believe. Help my unbelief.
For the next 10 minutes or so, we are going to turn our attention to God in prayer. He desires to meet with us today. To talk to us. To share His heart with us and for us to share our hearts with Him. Take a few deep breaths and say the following prayer:
God, You are here, now. And I am loved by You.
Now take a moment and pray this simple prayer that can be said in the span of a breath.
Jesus, You are my King.
As I read the following passage from Mark listen with the expectation that God is moving towards you, to speak to you, through these Spirit-inspired words today.
30 Then they left that place and made their way through Galilee, but he did not want anyone to know it. 31 For he was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after he is killed, he will rise three days later.” 32 But they did not understand this statement, and they were afraid to ask him.
33 They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34 But they were silent, because on the way they had been arguing with one another about who was the greatest. 35 Sitting down, he called the Twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last and servant of all.” 36 He took a child, had him stand among them, and taking him in his arms, he said to them, 37 “Whoever welcomes one little child such as this in my name welcomes me. And whoever welcomes me does not welcome me, but him who sent me.”
What a contrast. Jesus is telling His disciples that He is going to die and rise three days later. And the disciples are arguing about who is greatest among them.
They were afraid to ask Him what He meant by dying and rising even when they didn’t understand. They didn’t want to know what He meant.
And when He asked what they were talking about they were ashamed that the preoccupation of their thoughts and conversation were around who was greatest.
Why do our minds so often go to greatness? Who’s best? There’s an irresistible urge to rank according to achievement and ability. We have an acronym for it. He’s the GOAT…the Greatest Of All Time. And it’s human nature to believe that being close to greatness makes us great by association.
But Jesus is talking about the path to greatness and glory and they don’t understand, they are afraid to know what He means. Greatness in the kingdom comes through service and sacrifice. The disciples didn’t want to hear it. And so often, neither do we.
What would change if you really believed that greatness comes through humility? Through service? And sacrifice?
Let’s pray.
Lord, help.
Help me to see. Help me to hear. Only You can.
Help me to ask questions. Honest questions.
Help me to open my life up to You.
Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief.
Is there anywhere I’m holding you at arm’s length because you’ll challenge my idea of the way things should be?
I know You want to show me because You love me, and You want what’s best for me.
If I’m honest, being last feels like dying.
Help me to remember that if I die with You, I will rise with You.
And there is no earthly loss that compares to the glory that you have store for me.
Hear the Word of the LORD:
PSALM 131
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul like a weaned child with its mother;
Like a weaned child is my soul within me. O Isreal, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.
Amen.
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