Make Us Glad

Scotty Smith:  A Prayer about the Revolutionary Gospel of Servanthood

     “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:43-45

     Dear Lord Jesus, as I meditate on your Word this morning, once again I realize the gospel is the most counter-intuitive, paradigm-shattering, worldview-transforming force in history. Because of you, true greatness is now measured in terms of being a servant rather than owning the estate. Being first is no longer calculated by how many slaves we own, rather, by how many people we serve. You have changed the value and price tags for everything.
     “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Jesus, tattoo these words on our hearts with indelible ink; make them the most replayed song in the iPod of our soul; keep them before our eyes with neon-flashing brilliance.
     This revolutionary truth contradicts our most basic instincts about everything, including salvation. We don’t want to be ransomed, as guilty rebels; we want to be coddled, as misunderstood victims. We want a second chance, not a second birth. Forgive us, Lord Jesus.
    In our marriages, too often we don’t come to serve, but to be served, and to give our criticisms about many things. As leaders in your church, we tend to confuse greatness with exercising power and authority, rather than washing feet and nurturing your lambs. Forgive us, Lord Jesus.
    What a powerful Lord you are, redeeming the huge mess we’ve made of your world. What a gracious Savior you are, giving your life as the price for making all things new. We fall down before you, in awe of your humility and sacrifice for us. We rise to dance before you, as those upon whom you have lavished such great love, and so joyfully.
     Lord Jesus, only you can change our hearts, and grace always runs downhill, always. We tremble to ask this, but expose our pride; humble our attitudes; and soften our hearts. Make us prefer the hidden place of service over the public place of being noticed. Make us glad to be your servants, wherever you place us. So very Amen we pray, in your tender and powerful name.