Prayer Changes Me

With the overload of news we receive today, I’m sure you’ve heard about the recent passing of music icon David Bowie. One of his familiar songs, “Changes,” repeatedly played in my mind for a few days. Now, I was not a David Bowie fan but I couldn’t help but think of the words to that song. I reflected on a verse from the chorus, “Time may change me.” This verse struck a chord with me.

Our desire as Christians is that we change over time, and for the better. We’ve all heard the familiar phrase “Prayer changes things,” but what about “Prayer changes me.”

We know changes are necessary to become more Christlike, but how do we change? God’s primary way of working in believers is through His presence and working within “the inner person.” We are given a new heart and with the help of the Holy Spirit we become a new person.

“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Although we become new creatures in Christ, we still struggle with the old man and need to put off self daily. As we mature in Christ we are conformed more into His image. But the transformation does not take place overnight, it is a lifelong process. Therefore, we will never totally arrive; that is not until we come face to face with Jesus as clearly stated in the scripture, “We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is” (1 John 3:2b).

Much of our Christian experience is focused around our prayer lives. However, many of our prayers are not answered the way we anticipate. Although God does answer all our prayers, sometimes God says yes, no, or wait. The no, or wait answers can cause turmoil within us.

“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength” (Isaiah 40:31a).

 Could it be that as we wait on the Lord, He is trying to point out something in our lives? And perhaps we have not taken notice to the fact that he has answered a lot of our prayers, just not the way we envisioned.

There are times when we have pleaded before the Lord, and cried before the Lord. We may have even found ourselves begging God for an answer to specific prayers. Indeed, sometimes God is answering our prayers in ways we cannot perceive at the time. What’s wrong, I believe, is we frequently look for changes in our circumstances, or other people.

God is more interested in changes in us. Remember the catchword phrase mentioned earlier, “Prayer changes me.”

Have you ever dealt with a trial in your life that seemed insurmountable, a huge obstacle, a giant? But instead of removing your giant, God gave you courage to face it, and you sensed victory.

Or have you prayed for a habit or sin to be removed from your life that you failed at continually, and felt hopeless to change? Finally, when the break through comes you realize that persistence in prayer is worth the effort.

You may have prayed for physical healing, and God gave you isolation instead. You learned to wait on God. Then God transformed you into a “Mary,” a true worshipper of God, instead of a busy, multitasking “Martha.” Or possibly, you’ve gained more empathy and compassion for those suffering from physical illness.

Have you prayed for God to remove a situation in your personal life that you thought you couldn’t bear? Then as you continued in prayer God’s healing took place in your heart. You gained peace, strength, and relief from anxiety, worry, doubt, and fear.

How about a thorn in your life that presents itself every waking hour of every day? And yet, God says to you, just as he did to the apostle Paul, “My grace is sufficient for you.” As a result you have learned to persevere one day at a time. The outcome; God gets you through it just as He has promised.

Then again maybe you have prayed for enemies to be removed from your life. But you discover the opposition from enemies has kept your pride in check. Furthermore, quite frankly, now it doesn’t matter to you that you have enemies.

Perhaps you desired something someone else had and earnestly prayed for it but God said no. Thus, you learned the value of praying with the right motivation. Consequently, you realize you don’t desire that thing anymore.

More importantly, you may have prayed for an unchanging circumstance for years, but you finally grasp God’s sovereign ways and accept it.

In short, we have learned that there are bigger issues than comfort and ease and freedom from pain. God’s focus is on heart issues and strengthening the inner man. My weaknesses, fears, failures, and sins of the heart are gradually stripped away one step at a time, strengthening my “inner man.” Hence the outcome, “Prayer changes me.” Let’s be sure to take notice.

“For that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:16).