I've Never Prayed Like This!
by Mike Romero
“Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.”
This prayer was originally offered by Thomas Cranmer in the 1500s and has since been incorporated in the Book of Common Prayer used by our Anglican and Episcopalian friends. This prayer is spoken on the fifth Sunday of Lent.
The prayer strikes at the heart of our problem. In fact, this prayer is all about our hearts. We learn in Jeremiah 17:9 that “the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it.” Did you notice how Cranmer is framing the prayer? It is a plea to God to change our hearts and affections toward what God loves. Cranmer understood what the Bible says about our hearts.
Contrast this to the do more, try harder, be stronger messages we frequently hear. I don’t care how much will power you have or how much determination you muster up in your mind, if you heart isn’t in it, you will burnout, quit or just never try. The do more, try harder message goes something like this: In your mind you decide I need to do something better (exercise, eating, daily Bible reading) or eliminate something bad (sinful behavior, poor eating, laziness). Then you muster up your will power. You offer a prayer like “Lord, this time I promise to . . .” However, if your heart isn’t in it, you will eventually fail.
Do you understand why this cycle is doomed to fail? It is because you are starting at the wrong place. You are starting with your mind to convince your will to do or not do something, with the hope your heart will come along. The problem is your heart doesn’t work this way. Instead, what your heart loves, your will provides, and then your mind justifies. If you don’t believe me, then why do you sin? In your mind, you know sin is wrong and that it separates or places a wedge between you and God. However, you do it anyway. You know what is right, but you still do what is wrong.
As Jeremiah said, our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately sick. The apostle Paul recognized this problem in his own life. I challenge you to sit down and read the first seven chapters of Romans in one sitting. The last two verses in chapter seven read: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin” (Romans 7:24-25). For seven chapters, Paul is assaulting our souls with the fact that we are all sinners worthy of death. We see this in the law, we see this in our conscience, we see it by what we do, and we see it by what we don’t do. Paul, the greatest missionary church planter of all time, recognized that it didn’t matter how much will power we have, the problem is with the heart.
Quit trying to do more through shear will power. We just aren’t that strong. Instead, we have to start praying as Thomas Cranmer suggested. We have to start with the heart. It is the heart that needs saving because what the heart loves, the will provides, and the mind justifies.
Author Bio
Mike Romero is Vice President, Relationship Manager with Heritage Trust Company in Oklahoma City. Prior to this he served as Senior Vice President, Chief Development Officer at the Baptist Foundation of Oklahoma (WatersEdge). Mike started his legal career in the Tax & Estate Planning practice group at McAfee & Taft. Mike and his family have been members at Council Road since 2008, where he enjoys teaching and participating in missions. He currently serves as a church trustee.