I finished this book, Absolute Surrender by Andrew Murray. In it, Murray breaks down the biggest hindrance to our Christian faith, one that is most likely the culprit behind our unanswered prayers; and that, is pride...
The entire demise of the fallen angels was due to pride: self-complacency ... led to disobedience, and were cast down from the light of heaven into outer darkness." Likewise, the desire to be like God is what was responsible for "all the wretchedness in which man is now sunk."
Therefore, pride's counterpart is HUMILITY. In order to rid ourselves of pride, we must live as Jesus did: "meekness and lowliness of heart are to be the distinguishing feature of the disciple as they were of the Master." For many, this will mean a death of self, or an ego death.
Often, in order to achieve this humility, we must endure trials and suffering to bring us closer to God. As one person put it: "I have learned a lesson that going down is often the best way to get up." Only when we are brought low may we begin to achieve a higher spiritual state. Most people go out of their way to avoid anything that could cause them distress, when in reality, "the trial was a blessing; that, in the weakness and humiliation it brought, the grace and strength of the Lord could be the better manifested."
Humility must be present with everything that we say and do -- especially when it comes to the treatment of our fellow man. Jesus told us, "Love one another as I have loved you," so God expects our faith to be reflected upon every person we meet. "May God teach us that our thoughts, words, and feelings concerning our fellow men are His test of our humility towards Him."
What many people do not realize (myself included), is that humility MUST be present in our prayers. When Jesus taught us the Our Father, He did not simply give us a prayer -- He taught us HOW to pray! 馃檹 "In true worship, the Father must be first, must be all."
"Hallowed be Thy Name..." Every prayer should start with giving glory to God. "Give us this day..." This is the part where we give thanks and humbly ask God for the things we need. "As we forgive those..." The part where we put pride aside and pray for the state of others.
Finally, another thing that we sorely lack when it comes to our faith, is PATIENCE. Some people believe that God not answering their prayers on THEIR time means that God refuses to help -- in reality, it is the furthest thing from the truth. "He cannot gather the fruit until it is ripe. He knows when we are spiritually ready to receive." God knows what we need and when we need it, but He cannot give it to us until we are ready to receive it ourselves.
To completely surrender ourselves to God and wait for Him with joyful expectation means to CEASE relying on ourselves/man -- and that requires the erasure of pride. "...evil can have no beginning but from pride, and no end but from humility. The truth is this: pride may die in you, or nothing of heaven can live in you." We limit what God is capable of giving us by refusing to surrender.
