Midweek: Step Eleven

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went home. And in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as was his custom since early days.

~ Daniel 6:10

Long story short, Daniel had enemies. And they were trying to get him busted by the king. So, Daniel's enemies convinced the king to sign a decree prohibiting petition to any other authority but the king himself; that, of course, included prayer to God. Daniel clearly knew of the decree, but he would not allow that to stop him from praying to the One True God. Prayer was to him as eating is to us --three times daily (not including snacks). It was his sustenance and, for optimal health, should be ours as well. 

That's what Step Eleven says. From Walking the Twelve Steps with Jesus Christ:

I seek through prayer and meditation to improve my conscious contact with God as I understand Him, praying only for His will for me and the power to carry it out.

By improving our conscious contact with God throughout the day, we find the meat, the nutrients, the sustenance, the rest we require to handle life in the best possible way; in the way in which we were created to handle life.

We developed some bad habits. We sought to "do life" in a way other than the way our Owner's Manual (the Holy Bible) recommended. (And, I say "recommended" not because there is a better or equally efficient way, but because we choose; God admonishes, but we choose.) Connecting to God through prayer and meditation throughout the day, seeking His will as revealed in Scripture and through His Holy Spirit's intervention, receiving the power to obey --that is how we shed those old patterns of coping, and develop the ones we were always meant to use; the optimal means of doing life in this world, bringing glory to our Lord and remaining under His grace.

Grace is the very thing that empowers us to obey. Grace is often defined as "unmerited favor," and that is true. But what does that mean, and how do we respond? Well, if you think of it as God giving you what you don't deserve, what you have not earned, you might respond with gratitude. That gratitude might then lead you to want to obey, to do something "in return" for God's grace on your life. None of that is wrong. But when we're talking about lifelong patterns of bad or insufficient behaviors, things we have implemented our entire life to numb the pain or avoid confrontation or, perhaps, draw attention to ourselves that someone might rescue us from our own bad choices --when we're talking about those sorts of things, grace as I've defined it above can appear inadequate. Dallas Willard defined grace as God working in our lives to do what we cannot do on our own. That was a game changer for me. There is strength in that. There is assurance in that. God's grace is not simply pouring out favor in the form of a beautiful sunset or a smile from our grandchild; it is not only a sudden healing that leaves us feeling blessed and overwhelmingly appreciative. It is "When I don't have the strength to obey, You fortify me as I draw close to You." God's grace is mighty, mighty, mighty! The power to carry it out. Yes, it is intimate; yes, it is special. But God's grace is fashioned especially for each one of His children, specific to our needs and greater than we can imagine. As we pray and meditate on Scripture, we move ourselves into position to feel His presence, hear His voice, and receive His grace. Like stepping under the porch roof to get out of the rain, we draw near to Him and are safe from the torrents and temptations of life in a fallen world. Scripture reveals a new path, the right path; prayer connects us to the One who loves us beyond measure and will walk each step beside us, empowering us by His grace.