The dust may have not yet settled from our time in Tampa, but we still pray for the people called United Methodists from around the world. I thought it might be beneficial for us to pray Wesley's Covenant Prayer for our own wellbeing, starting with a line a day.
The first line reads, "I am no longer my own, but thine."
No better posture in prayer than acknowledging Whose we are. The Christian has suffered their life to God and we should never forget this. Too many of our problems are caused by our wanting to put ourselves or our own interests first. If we can surrender the "I" in our lives, along with the "mine," we can begin to see if we remember that we belong to God, we might just be able to see the needs of God's people in our midst.
If you have never surrendered to God, God shares an invitation from the last book in the Bible, Revelation 3:20: Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to (you) and eat with (you), and (you) with me. (RSV with ( ) from NRSV). That surrender begins with giving our heart to Jesus, opening wide the door and inviting the Lord of Life to come in and be our savior and friend.
PRAYER: Loving God, let me open the door of my heart to you daily. Let it be true as I pray the words, "I am no longer my own, but Thine." I pray in Jesus' precious name, amen.
