A Prayer about Friends Finishing

Well See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. (Heb. 3:12–14 NIV)

As we bring this week to a close, I want to share another Gospel prayer from the pen of Pastor Scotty Smith. The focus of today’s prayer is finishing well:

Dear Jesus, I’m so grateful for the dear friends you’ve woven into my life. Since I’m an introvert, the journey of investing my heart in long-term relationships has required, and still requires, a lot of your grace—grace that you’ve been faithful to supply.

I’ve already gripped the handle of a couple of friends’ caskets, and other friends will do the same for me one day. More than ever, I want us to finish well together in the gospel. What will this look like and what will it take, Jesus?

My temptation is to treat my easiest friendships like a broken-in pair of Birkenstock sandals—I just enjoy them without much thought or effort. It’s a great gift to have a few friends who can finish each other’s sentences, endure one another’s jokes, appreciate each other’s quirks, and accept one another’s weaknesses. Surely this is a gospel gift.

Yet, Jesus, we’re still foolish people, capable of acting out in very destructive ways, prone to wander, easy targets for temptation. With all of my being, I trust in the grip of your grace and the security of your bride. But your Word is so very clear that continuance in gospel faith is a sign of a real faith. That doesn’t scare me, but it does sober me.

Help us know how to hold each other accountable for believing the gospel. Help us take each other’s heart struggles seriously. Help us never to minimize or marginalize the deceitfulness and hardening power of sin. Help us know how to preach the gospel to our own hearts daily, and to each other, until today gives way to the day of your longed-for return. I pray in your all-glorious name. Amen.

Smith, Scotty (2011-09-01). Everyday Prayers for a Transformed Life: 365 Days to Gospel-Centered Faith (Kindle Locations 2067-2086). Baker Book Group. Kindle Edition.

Daily Bible Reading: Job 25-27; 1 Corinthians 9

Quote of the day:  The religion of Christ is the religion of JOY. Christ came to take away our sins, to roll off our curse, to unbind our chains, to open our prison house, to cancel our debt; in a word, to give us the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Is not this joy? Where can we find a joy so real, so deep, so pure, so lasting? There is every element of joy – deep, ecstatic, satisfying, sanctifying joy – in the gospel of Christ. The believer in Jesus is essentially a happy man. The child of God is, from necessity, a joyful man. His sins are forgiven, his soul is justified, his person is adopted, his trials are blessings, his conflicts are victories, his death is immortality, his future is a heaven of inconceivable, unthought-of, untold, and endless blessedness. With such a God, such a Savior, and such a hope, is he not, ought he not, to be a joyful man? Octavius Winslow

Bible Memory: The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words. I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise. Psalm 119:57-58