Are your prayers submitted to God this way? Do you place His will above your own, even when circumstances are unfavorable? In many ways to pray “Thy will be done” is a kind of death. It is a type of crucified praying. It’s a prayer of dying to what the flesh wants and asking for what God wants. Our wills often get in the way of what God wants. But the fact is that God knows us best and is our all wise Father. He knows what we truly need and what will truly make us happy–for eternity. Just because we pray does not mean life will get easier. It might in fact get harder. But if we are going to be a people that pray, then we must also be a people that embrace the Calvary Road in submission to the Father’s will.
This reminds me of a poem written by an anonymous author (of course because its about dying to self), and I hope this challenges you and helps you to pray and live the crucified life.
Dying to Self
“When you are forgotten, neglected, or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting or hurt with the oversight, but your heart is happy being counted worthy to suffer for Christ;
That is dying to self.
When your good is evil spoken of, when your wishes are crossed, your advice disregarded, your opinion ridiculed and you refuse to let anger rise in your heart or even defend yourself, but take it all in patient, loving silence;
That is dying to self.
When you lovingly and patiently bear any disorder, any irregularity, any annoyance; when you can stand face to face with waste, folly, extravagance, spiritual insensibility, and endure it as Jesus did;
That is dying to self.
When you are content with any food, and offering, any raiment, any climate, any society, any solitude, any interruption by the will of God;
That is dying to self.
When you never care to refer to yourself in conversation or record your own good works or itch after commendation, when you can truly love to be unknown;
That is dying to self.
When you can see your brother prosper and have his needs met, and can honestly rejoice with him in spirit and feel no envy, nor question God, while your own needs are far greater and you are in desperate circumstances;
That is dying to self.
When you can receive correction and reproof from one of less stature than yourself and can humbly submit, inwardly as well as outwardly, finding no rebellion or resentment rising up within your heart;
That is dying to self.“