comfort

He mentioned that there was a bit of pain coming back and the first thing I thought of was, ‘Lord, make it go away.’ 

That prayer is simple and can be a genuine cry out to God. But in my heart for that moment, it was the cry of comfort- I was really asking for the removal of what might be difficult. 

If I’m honest, my prayers are like that a lot. Lord, help me get there on time, let our plans go smoothly, let me get enough sleep and let there not be any hiccups. Because time is money and there are a million things to do, and if it could just be easy, then everything would be so much more enjoyable and so much more could be accomplished. 

I’m guilty of wanting convenience and ease.

We are studying through the Sermon on the Mount and what strikes me is that Jesus doesn’t talk a lot about being comfortable. He talks about being salt and light, and neither one of those is something that comes easy. 

If I am to follow Christ in the way of the kingdom, it means my prayers ( and naturally, my perspective) must change as well. Prayers end up being less about circumstances and more about the matter of the heart. 

It’s not to say that we shouldn’t pray for some circumstances to change, because some of them are hellish and praying the kingdom come means their eradication. But more often than not I just don’t want to be inconvenienced. 

Jesus doesn’t call me to be comfortable, but to be holy, and those are usually contradictory. 

Lord, give me the desire to hunger and thirst after righteousness over the pleasure of passing ease.