Upward Growth Through Prayer

A number of years ago I found myself, for various reasons, in a position of great spiritual drought. At that critical time, God graciously pulled my heart back to Him. He began to revive my spiritual appetite and sensitivity. As He showed me areas of need, I started a list of prayer requests, each one addressing some aspect of spiritual growth. The requests included things like that I would be thankful in all things, that I would learn to go to God as my refuge, and that God would strengthen my inner man. I ended up with over fifty such requests, each one linked to a corresponding verse from the Bible.

While many of those requests were regarding general spiritual growth, others were requests that I considered to be more fundamental and therefore more critical. These requests included that I would not turn away from God, that I would believe God’s goodness and love every day, that God would increase my faith, and that I would fully believe the truth of God’s Word. I prayed these requests on a regular basis, asking God to do a work in my heart.

A few months into the process, I remember sitting on my couch one Sunday afternoon, spending some time with God. As I read the Bible, God gave me great encouragement with His truth, and then He started to open my eyes to see the gracious work He had accomplished in my heart. I began to comprehend how many of my requests He had begun to answer. Each realization seemed to lead to another, and soon I was having a private praise session with God as I recognized request after request that He had answered. He had done that through His Word, through the softening of my heart, through a deliberate focus on key issues, and through godly counsel.

As is often the case in the quest for Christian maturity, many of those requests were only partially answered at the time. While I rejoiced in the progress, I understood that there was still plenty of room for additional growth. I continued to pray for God’s work, and He answered in an unexpected way. As a complete surprise to me, and with very little notice, I lost my job. Directly connected to the job loss was the loss of my housing. I had little choice but to rapidly pack up and move several states away to live with my parents for what ended up being over a year and a half of unemployment and underemployment.

As I drove those 400+ miles, I had a lot of time to think and pray, and God directed my thoughts to a very clear realization. This unexpected upheaval and unpleasant situation was God’s way of continuing to answer my prayers. The situation itself, as the significant trial that it was, certainly provided the opportunity for growth. It was the perfect setting in which to grow in the areas of submission and faith, and it was the right circumstance in which to see God’s love and provision and evidences of His character. Beyond that, it provided me with an opportunity that many people never have. At a very sensitive point in my life, I was provided with hours and hours to spend with God – week after week and month after month. God had given much growth in the previous months, but He knew that for the additional work He wanted to do, I needed large quantities of time with Him.

Almost as soon as I arrived back at my childhood home and church, my pastor there challenged each of us to choose a theme verse for the year. Knowing my current need, I chose Psalm 80:3. This verse, contained in a psalm that is entirely a prayer for revival, acknowledges the need for God’s blessing in the restoration process. The verse became the basis for frequently-offered prayers that God would give the necessary help in the spiritual growth process. Without God’s blessing, such growth is not possible. No amount of determination or structured attempt or even strong desire is enough to bring about growth. The work can only be accomplished as God in His grace gives His blessing.

Did I realize that my prayers for growth would be answered by an abrupt life upheaval, by the loss of my job and ministry, and by the loss of independence? No, I had no idea. I thought the prayers would be answered through my seeking heart and the time focused on God’s truth. God did give some of the answer that way, but there were other aspects of growth that He needed to accomplish through trial. It is remarkable to look again over that list of requests and to realize how God so abundantly answered. He hasn’t completely answered yet; I’m still on the upward journey, but I thank Him for the work He has done.

Praying for growth and asking for God to give it are important in the quest for spiritual maturity. When we come to God with a heart that truly seeks Him and with a sincere desire to mature in Him, God will answer. We do not know how God will answer that prayer or how quickly He will answer that prayer, but we can be sure that He will answer. God loves to see His children growing in Christian maturity, and He loves to see them rightfully dependent on Him to do the work.

“O God, restore us and cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.” Psalm 80:3 (NASB)