The Prayer of Transformation

PRAYER OF CONSECRATION

Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you. 

Jesus, I belong to you.

I lift up my heart to you.
I set my mind on you.
I fix my eyes on you.
I offer my body to you as a living sacrifice.

Jesus, we belong to you. 

Praying in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, amen. 

Matthew 6:33

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Reviewing:

1. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. 

2. Prayer is the lifelong process of becoming a peculiar kind of person who learns to exercise a particular kind of power for the good of the world and the glory of God.

Now to today’s text: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Like so many of you, I have read, highlighted, underlined, and focused on Matthew 6:33 as long as I can remember. If I’m honest, though, I have mostly focused on part of it. I have put the emphasis on seeking “his kingdom.” Sure, I salute the part about seeking “his righteousness” but I have given little attention to this. Seeking “his kingdom” just feels more tangible and action-oriented and otherwise doable. Seeking “his righteousness” feels fuzzy and unquantifiable and otherwise aspirational but not really practical. 

Notice how Jesus says, “Seek first,” and then he seems to name two things.

Why would he do this? What if I told you “his kingdom” and “his righteousness” are all at once one thing and yet not the same thing? What if they are two inseparable dimensions of the same whole? It’s kind of like when someone says, “brush your teeth,” they assume you understand you will need both a toothbrush and toothpaste. I know . . . that’s deep, but that’s why you pay me the big bucks. LOL. Seriously, though, think about it. Trying to brush your teeth without any toothpaste is akin to seeking his kingdom and not seeking his righteousness. Trying to brush your teeth with toothpaste and no toothbrush is akin to seeking his righteousness and not seeking his kingdom. And I’ll stop there before this analogy runs out of gas—I mean toothpaste. 

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

What if we thought of “his kingdom” as the will of God and “his righteousness” as the way of God? We either get both or we get neither. Watch this. The right thing done in the wrong way becomes the wrong thing. Jesus says as much earlier in the chapter when he teaches on giving, prayer, and fasting. But watch how it works in the opposite direction: The wrong thing done in the right way becomes the right thing. (i.e., see the story of the prodigal son and the story of the generous land owner, the whole approach to sabbath keeping, etc.) 

The righteousness of God is the very nature of Jesus and there is only one way to get it—receive Jesus. To receive Jesus is to receive his kingdom and his righteousness. It is why we will never behave our way into either. We must receive. It’s why Jesus says, “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened.”

And this is the secret of transformation. As we receive his righteousness by faith we can by faith release our sinfulness. As we receive his wholeness we can release our brokenness. This is the miracle of grace. God is not holding back waiting on us to get rid of our sinfulness so he can come in and replace it with his righteousness. He stands at the door and knocks. He comes to give us his righteousness which displaces our sinfulness, empowering us to then release it. 

This is why the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. A righteous person’s sinful nature is being displaced by the very righteousness of God. It’s why we call it transformation. 

This is how prayer is the lifelong process of becoming a peculiar kind of person who learns to exercise a particular kind of power for the good of the world and the glory of God.

THE PRAYER OF TRANSFORMATION

Lord Jesus, teach us to pray. 

I receive your righteousness and release my sinfulness.
I receive your wholeness and release my brokenness.
I receive your fullness and release my emptiness.
I receive your peace and release my anxiety.
I receive your joy and release my despair.
I receive your healing and release my sickness. 
I receive your love and release my selfishness. 

Come, Holy Spirit, transform my heart, mind, soul, and strength so that my consecration becomes your demonstration; that our lives become your sanctuary. For the glory of God our Father, amen.

THE QUESTION

On days like this, I wish we could discuss this over coffee because I’m not sure I am getting through. Am I getting through? I’m sorry if I am frustrating you. Am I frustrating you? 

THE HYMN

Today we will sing the chorus, “Seek Ye First.” It is hymn 341 in our Seedbed hymnal, Our Great Redeemer’s Praise.

For the Awakening,
J. D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com

P. S.  Poll: Would you be interested if I taught a short online course on prayer and fasting?

I’m praying about leading a short course (3 sessions) called Praying with Jesus or How to Pray with Jesus. Part of my discernment comes in assessing interest. We will charge a small fee for tuition (scholarships available). This would likely happen in the February-March window. Let me know here of your interest. Will take you a minute to respond to the two questions. And thank you! 

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