Mark Sorensen 
In our New Years Night of Worship we celebrated in the Harvest, I shared the words from John Wesley’s Covenant Prayer service in which the people, along with the pastor, would pray the following.
Let me be your servant, under your command.
I will no longer be my own.
I will give up myself to your will in all things.Lord, make me what you will.
I put myself fully into your hands:
put me to doing, put me to suffering,
let me be employed for you, or laid aside for you,
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing.
I freely and with a willing heart
give it all to your pleasure and disposal.
Can you imagine? Often times I sing words that are on the screen in worship and I sing them because they’re on the screen and I am supposed to sing. Anyone else? Yet, I am not sure I am actually fully aware of what I am saying to God in the context of the prayers found within the lyrics. This prayer? The prayer above? Goodness. Can we really pray this with an expectant heart? Here’s the thing. When we do, God moves.
Within the order of the covenant service, Wesley would go on to make four suggestions for all who approach a new year.
- Commit to abide.
- Expect awe and wonder.
- Trust in God’s strength and not your own.
- Resolve to be faithful.
I love those. In fact, I am taking each of those and using as a banner over my prayer life while I approach 2017.
Commit to abide. That takes me to John 15:5 where Jesus says, “I am the vine and you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” It’s easy to get this perspective flipped and think we’re the vine and Jesus is the branch. Not the case at all. The closer we draw to Jesus in our relationship with the Lord, the more we grow as disciples, and the more fruit we grow. Good fruit! I often think, “If my prayer life was a refrigerator, would I want to eat anything found within that fridge?” We must abide.
Expect awe and wonder. Ever had someone throw a surprise party for you? Perhaps it’s a gift that someone got you for no reason. Maybe it was flowers left on your office desk or delivered to your home. Here’s the thing: I think God is surprising us on a daily basis. Love this verse from Habakkuk 1:5: ““Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” The more we grow, the more we see God’s handiwork and “showing off” all around us. Let’s expect awe and wonder and then look at God moving and at work all around us.
Trust in God’s strength and not your own. Come on, will THAT one ever preach. I struggle with this daily. Yet, when I say “I can’t”, God says, “I can.” I think about Paul praying in regards to the thorn in his flesh. What happens. Jesus meets him in his prayer and says, “My grace is sufficient for you because my power is made perfect in your weakness.” Cheesy preacher quote alert: “Don’t tell God how big your problems are. Tell your problems how big your God actually is.” (drops mic, walks away)
Resolve to be faithful. Discipleship is challenging. I get it. There are days we succeed, and other days we fall flat on our faces in our pursuit of the Lord. Yet, stay encouraged, friends. I love this word from Jesus to Peter. “But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32) Stop and let that settle in. Today, right now, Jesus is praying FOR YOU. It was true for Peter then, it’s true for each of us today.
SO, there you go, friends. A new year awaits. Approach it with these four truths and then? Step back and be amazed.
Truly, it’s a blessing to serve and walk this journey alongside you all!
