The Importance of Prayer

 In the Process of Progressive Transformation

by DSB

The Christian experience in the area of godliness, or what we might call "spiritual growth" or "becoming conformed to the image of Christ," is one of progressive transformation. I am not implying by this that none of us have experienced rapid, if not instantaneous transformation in one or two areas of sinful behavior. Some of us have. And some of these rapid, if not instantaneous transformations, have been in areas of great bondage - like drugs, alcohol, raging anger, depression, relationship destroying jealousy, some sexually immoral practice, and other such destructive things. Yet in spite of any rapid or instantaneous changes, all of us have had to go through the slower process of progressive transformation in every other area of sin which God wants to redeem and bring to godliness.

In the familiar story of the prodigal son (Luke 15), we find nothing directly said about rapid, instantaneous transformation, or progressive transformation. Yet when we read this story through the understanding of our "real world" experience, we realize that both rapid transformation and progressive transformation are not only part of the story - they are both vital to the outcome of the story. I think we can realistically say that it took only a few hours to get the prodigal out of the pig pen, and probably only a few weeks to get him home. Yet, and this is my opinion, it took a number of years to get the pig pen and the far country out of the prodigal. Upon getting home, he was instantly forgiven and justified, declared to be not guilty, and given the tokens of acceptance: the ring, the robe and the reception. Yet it seems equally true that he had sinful thought patterns, areas of unbelief, irrational fears, selfish interests, ungodly habits, and unrighteous behavior patterns to conquer. On top of all this, he would have had to learn how to humbly deal with his guilt and public shame for dishonoring his father and wasting the inheritance. And as if that weren’t enough, he probably had to deal with the lingering criticism and open disapproval of his brother - signs of a broken relationship which would not be so easily reconciled.

The point of all this is that salvation in Christ is both immediate and progressive — immediate in that we are instantly justified when we accept Christ’s death as sufficient payment for our sin so we can come to God as if we are not sinners; and progressive in that after being saved we must then engage in a lifelong process of working out the implications of our salvation in our thoughts, interests, emotions, practices, relationships, and service.

Now I have said all of this to bring us to this point. It is in this process of progressive transformation where spiritual disciplines are crucial if we are to be transformed. And by spiritual disciplines, I am speaking of those Christian practices which promote or aid spiritual growth and spiritual formation at their most practical levels. So listen carefully here! Without discounting any of the disciplines required for spiritual growth, allow me raise the discipline of prayer to the top of the list for this particular study on MAKING A DIFFERENCE BY PRAYING OFTEN AND WISELY.

 

EXAMPLES OF PROGRESSIVE TRANSFORMATION AND ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PRAYER.

In both the Old and New Testaments, we find many stories of people being confronted with themselves and having to face what is in their heart while at the same time being confronted with who God is and what He wants for them. In reading these stories we come to realize that God’s people are almost exclusively transformed in the context and through the experiences of everyday life. In other words, most of the transforming work of grace is progressive transformation.

Consider Abraham. He came to know who God was and what God wanted from him through the transforming work of many situations, including moving away from home, showing hospitality to strangers, experiencing God’s provision (he let Lot pick the best land, yet was blessed more than Lot), being warned of and then observing God’s judgment on Sodom & Gomorrah, facing the possible loss of his wife to kings who might covet her (though he lied, God protected him - Gen 12:10-13; 20:1-2), seeing the impossible happen in the birth of his son, facing the possible loss of his son, and the final years of his life without Sarah.

Jacob, though he was a conniver, learned about God and personal integrity through wrestling with God, meeting his brother after years of separation, enduring the painful loss of his favored son, finding his lost son and realizing he had been deceived by his own children, and finally, at the very end of his life - blessing of his children as God instructed him (Hebrews 11:21).

Joseph experienced God’s transforming work in his life through his treatment at the hands of others and through the opportunities for work that lay before him. In fact, it was in his work, which seemed partly to be the result of how he was treated by others, that he discovered God’s purpose for his life (as stated in Genesis 50:20). He started as an errand boy for his father, was despised by his brothers, sold into slavery by his brothers, made the best of his situation by becoming one of the top slaves in Potiphar’s house, was victimized by Potiphar’s wife (falsely accused, punished unjustly), made the best of his situation by working for the Chief Jailor - while a prisoner, was left behind and forgotten in jail by the Cupbearer and Chief Baker, and eventually was elevated to serve as the leader of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh.

Moses was transformed by God and shaped into one of God’s most humble leaders through pathways that stripped him of pride and drove him to trust in God and obey God. These paths, though long and hard, brought him into the privilege of enjoying a face-to-face relationship with God.

For Ruth, bereavement over the loss of her husband became a turning point for God’s transforming grace to have its way in her life. From her loss, she found that God was good and able to bring good out of what seemed so bad. Her life was not easy after the death of her husband, but she trusted in God and fulfilled her duties to her mother-in-law. By yielding to God’s transforming process - especially in the difficult times - Ruth became a godly women - so much so that God not only gave her a wonderful new husband, He included her in the lineage of Jesus even though she was a gentile.

David was chosen by God to be King over Israel because God knew David to be a "man after God’s heart." What this means is that God knew David to be a man who God could count on to do His will. Yet before that moment of God choosing him, and after that moment of Samuel anointing him for the position of King, David grew in his love for and trust in God through multiple challenges, hard times, sinful failures, humble confession, repentance, and God’s gracious provision and protection through it all. We see David throughout his life being transformed more and more into what God wanted him to be - so much so that God promised David his throne would last forever.

Jeremiah, though young at the time, was called by God to be God’s prophet to Judah and Israel. What Jeremiah was asked to prophecy was not what the Jews wanted to hear. He was mocked, called a liar, disregarded, and had to endure the people’s rebellion against God and against what God had given him to say to them. Yet these difficult experiences at the hands of the people became the things which progressively transformed him and matured him into one of the great servants of God. The beauty of progressive transformation is seen in the fact that Jeremiah’s message had the power to transform the hearers while the experiences of telling the message had the power to transform him.

Job not only experienced the usual transforming process that results from daily life, he found God in new and unexpected ways, and came to know himself much better through a compressed period of tremendous suffering.

Ezekiel, once an ordinary priest in Jerusalem, was so transformed by being carried into exile and living under foreign rule that God chose him to be God’s prophet to the Jew’s living in captivity in Babylon.

Jonah, a somewhat self-righteous prophet of God, had his self-righteousness severally challenged when God told him to go on a journey to people he did not love with a message he did not want them to hear.

Hosea gained the heart of God when his own heart was broken and remade through the heart breaking challenges of a tragic marriage.

Daniel found that being dragged off to Babylon and forced to serve a foreign King became the very place where his faith grew and he became the godly man we know him to be.

In the New Testament Mary and Joseph were shaped by an unexpected and unplanned conception and birth of a very special baby boy. They faced the challenges of trusting God with the unknown, unplanned moves, probable poverty, and the challenges of raising God’s son.

Mary and Martha were challenged to grow in their faith and love for God through a conflict between them over priorities and household duties. They were pushed farther in their faith by the death of their brother - and then his resurrection.

James and John went through discipleship training under Jesus - which was truly a progressively transforming process. And near the end of that training they were invited to grow even more when Jesus reflected back to them the sinful focus of their ambition.

Peter made enough mistakes to either be discouraged by them and give up or learn from them and go forward. He seemed to always get back up and go forward. And at the end of Jesus’ time here on earth, he invited Peter to take a great leap forward when he asked Peter to focus on that which God had given him to do, and not on what God was giving others to do.

Paul grew in grace and wisdom and humility through multiple experiences of persecution, hard times, rejection, and difficult people.

Philemon was invited to grow through showing mercy to a former employee that had disappointed him bitterly.

 

All of these examples show that everyday life is filled with opportunities:

To move toward God or away from God,

To grow spiritually or fall backwards - and maybe even lose some of the growth already gained,

These examples show that everyday life is filled with opportunities to die some more to self or feed self so as to lengthen its life,

To overcome our fears or be overcome by our fears,

To strengthen our faith or weaken it,

These examples show that everyday life is filled with opportunities to be conformed some more to the image of Christ or be conformed some more to the ways of the world,

To increase the glow of God from our life or lose some of the luster of His presence in us,

And finally, these examples show that everyday life is filled with opportunities to become more of what God saved us to be, and we can either pray our way through or muddle our way through. Therefore, given the circumstances of life and the fact that transformation from being a self-centered sinner to being a God-serving, people-loving Christian is a process which is taking place each and everyday - WE NEED TO PRAY OFTEN AND WISELY.

 

 
Revised 2013