Enable Us to Love Now

Scotty Smith:  A Prayer about Our Big Gospel Family

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. Rom. 8:29-30

Gracious Father, in the gospel, none of us is an only child. Though I came from the womb a selfish man and was raised in a culture of individualism; though I’m an introvert by temperament and often a loner by choice, nevertheless, you’ve made me for rich relationship and engaged community.

I’m seeing this everywhere in the Scriptures, but especially in the plural pronouns. The “we’s” outnumber the “I’s,” and the “our’s” outnumber the “mine’s” about ten to one. God have mercy on this self-centered man.

Only the gospel is big enough to make concave hearts, like mine, convex. Only the gospel is powerful enough to help us risk knowing and being known by others.  Only the gospel give us the motivation and means for thinking of others more than highly than we think of ourselves (Phil. 2:1-11). Only the gospel can give us genuine intrigue and enjoyment of other people so different from us.

Indeed, there are no ordinary people or unnecessary people in the body of Christ. There are no big people or little people in your family. We’re all the right size. Not one of us is more justified than the other or more precious in your sight. We’ll all be equally glorified when Jesus comes back—each one of us will be just as lovely and loving as our Savior.

Forgive us when our attitudes and actions contradict these grand affirmations. Forgive us when our penchant for tribalism takes precedent over our calling to have love for all the saints. Forgive us when we offer a great submission to the four letters of our Myers-Briggs test or the number of our Enneagram profile than we give to the truth of the Scriptures and our identity in Christ. Forgive us when our small group fellowships become more like ingrown exclusive clubs. Forgive us when we no longer have a heart for outsiders. Forgive us when evangelism is a past memory rather than a present delight. Forgive us for all the ways we make the gospel about “me”, rather than about “us.”

Father, one day we will gather in the New Jerusalem as your completed family—as sons and daughters, brothers and sisters from every race, tribe, language, and people group—eternally diverse and perfectly united. As we will love then, enable us to love now, in small yet observable ways… One family, many children, all to your glory. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ merciful and unifying name.