A Prayer to Learn to Walk with the Lord
By Dr. James Spencer
“See, I have taught you statutes and rules, as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should do them in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’” - Deuteronomy 4:5-6
My son had spent most of his life in small towns. We had a wooded area in a backyard that he would explore, and when we took evening walks, he would run ahead of my wife and I till he got to the next corner. But in 2012, my family and I moved to the city of Chicago. The differences between small-town and big-city life became evident when my son and I were walking on Michigan Avenue. On the relatively empty sidewalks of rural Illinois, my son didn’t have to stay by my side. Michigan Avenue, however, presented different challenges.
I watched as my son tried to navigate the bustline Chicago sidewalks on his own. He dodged groups of shoppers, sidestepped those guilty of texting while walking, and hugged the walls to avoid being trampled. I called him back to walk next to me. At six foot, 250 pounds, people saw me coming. I didn’t shove people out of the way, but I was definitely more noticeable than a seven-year-old. When my son walked next to me, he was able to walk as if he was six foot 250 pounds as well. He was able to walk differently because he walked with me. Just as my son was able to walk differently when he walked next to me, so Christians can walk differently when we walk with God.
So, how can we walk with God? God has enabled us to walk with him. As God says in Ezekiel 36:26-27, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” God has given us his Spirit so that we can obey Him. And in obeying, we walk with him.
God has revealed how we can follow him. He has given us the way of wisdom. For Israel, keeping God’s laws was to be Israel’s “wisdom” and “understanding” before the nations. It isn’t all that different for us. We demonstrate our wisdom by learning to observe all Christ commanded. Obedience is our only strategy. It is how we demonstrate that we trust the Lord with our whole hearts rather than leaning on our own understanding. As we obey, we offer an alternative to the world. We walk with Christ so that the world sees the difference Christ makes. We are to be a people who walk wisely by walking with the Lord.
Let’s pray:
Lord, we desire to point to and glorify you in a lost and broken world. Help us to walk with you. You have already given us your Spirit. You have revealed yourself to us through the scriptures and your Son. Give us the conviction and courage to obey. Help us to be wise as we follow you and walk in your ways. We desire to be increasingly conformed to the image of your Son, who was obedient even to the point of death on the cross. Make us crave your direction in every aspect of our lives. Drive us away from our own foolish plans and schemes and toward your word so that we may become more and more dependent on you. We trust you, O God, to do abundantly more than we could ever ask or think. Allow us to recognize our obedience as our wisdom and our dependence on you as our understanding. May we be a people so committed to you and your ways that we walk differently in the world so that in word and in deed, we may proclaim the gospel to a world that desperately needs to hear it.
In Jesus’ name, we pray, Amen.
Want More from Dr. Spencer? Check Out The Thinking Christian Podcast!
Christians shouldn’t just think. They should think Christian. Join Dr. James Spencer and guests for calm, thoughtful, theological discussions about a variety of topics Christians face every day. The Thinking Christian Podcast will help you grow spiritually and learn theology as you seek to be faithful in a world that is becoming increasingly proficient at telling stories that deny Christ.
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James Spencer earned his Ph.D. in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He believes discipleship will open up opportunities beyond anything God’s people could accomplish through their own wisdom. James has published multiple works, including Christian Resistance: Learning to Defy the World and Follow Christ, Useful to God: Eight Lessons from the Life of D. L. Moody, Thinking Christian: Essays on Testimony, Accountability, and the Christian Mind, and Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology to help believers look with eyes that see and listen with ears that hear as they consider, question, and revise assumptions hindering Christians from conforming more closely to the image of Christ. In addition to serving as the president of the D. L. Moody Center, James is the host of “Useful to God,” a weekly radio broadcast and podcast, a member of the faculty at Right On Mission, and an adjunct instructor with the Wheaton College Graduate School. Listen and subscribe to James's podcast, Thinking Christian, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or LifeAudio!
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