by Ramesh Richard

I was overwhelmed when Fred Smith*, my 91-year-old mentor and friend, surprised me at RREACH’s 20th anniversary banquet audience via an audio message. He told them about God’s good gifts in my life and a strong future of usefulness in the divine plan. Taken aback, I stumbled through the first few minutes of my talk on deflecting human focus with a set of prayers.

Here is a description of those prayers for you, but of course, offered to my Lord Jesus:

1. If I shame your name, please remove me. A high view of God and a serious view of sin prompt this prayer of sacred caution. God’s concern for His Name (i.e., His character) reverberates throughout the Scriptures. Paul excoriates Jewish teachers who know but don’t meet God’s expectations with, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you” (Rom 2:24). I do not want to cause people to blaspheme God’s name by my poor behavior.

2. If I squander your resources, please remind me. Sourced in the many “talent, time, and task” parables, I ask God to remind me to steward His gifts, rather than squander them by nonuse, sub-use, or wrong-use (Mark 13:33-37; Matt 25:14-30).

The cluster of my ministry talents administers life or death to unbelievers and spiritual health or dearth to believers, so I must use them well.

3. If I shy away from opportunities, please reinforce me. Reticent, hesitant, and afraid are words not uncommon to my self-understanding. I must not shy away into a false modesty when God is stirring me into uncomfortable new directions to step up, even serve up. Hence, I ask for His ongoing reinforcement to obtain an inner certitude of the Spirit from the Scriptures, with counsel from godly people, and by the providential reordering of circumstances. With this fortification, I shall research and plan in faith not to shy away from what He has put on my mind and heart to do for Him (cf. Neh 2:11).

4. If I steal your glory, please restrain me. Sometimes “over-introduced” at speaking engagements, I dare not steal God’s glory. When I mistake the gift-user as the gift-owner, I seek a glory that He doesn’t care to share (Isa 42:8). Instead, as Fred Smith reminds me, “when people compliment you, they are appreciating your gifts, not your person. Receive them, like Fénelon said, as the comfort of God in your life.” A request for divine restraint in this sinful tendency accompanies my constant realization that God’s gifts are larger than the person; His calling is bigger than the gifts; His vision bigger than my calling; and He is greater than all.

Prayer is more than words. It is sentiment, conviction, and expression all rolled into a conversation with God.

Sometimes prayer is spontaneous, at other times sustained, but at all times significant. Please don’t think more highly of me than you should in my sharing these prayers; I could fall into error #4. Instead, cover me with your prayers.