Put Away All Self-Assurance

Meditation for the day taken from Everyday Prayer with John Calvin, written by Donald McKim:

Scripture: Daniel 9:16-19

The passage for today is the completion of the prayer of Daniel that began in 9:4. What is evident from these verses is the dependence Daniel places on God as he confesses the people's sin and pleads for help. It is a great temptation to emphasize our worthiness before God as we pray. Sometimes we think that God will look at our behavior and somehow give the nod to them in our prayers. Yet, Daniel writes, "For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy." (9:18). The fact is that we have no inherent righteousness. The only righteousness we have is that which is possessed by Christ and imputed to us. The only reason we can boldly pray and ask our Father for anything is that the Savior has secured that access through his perfect righteousness. When we pray, we stand naked and bare before him. It is a humbling thought, but it must be held in mind and heart as we pray. Thus, McKim writes, "We come before God in complete humility and with a focus on God's glory -- never on our own." Calvin comments, "Anyone who stands before God to pray, in his humility giving glory completely to God, [must] abandon all thought of his own glory, cast off all notion of his own worth, in fine, put away all self-assurance -- lest if we claim for ourselves anything, even the least bit, we should become vainly puffed up, and perish at his presence." (65).

Strengthening this argument is the observation of the repetition Daniel offers in his prayer. Note how many times he says, "O Lord" or "O God." His focus is on God, and his dependence is not rooted in himself or his people but on the God of the covenant. He has nothing to offer. Instead, he empties himself of his pride and self-righteousness and turns to God with complete humility in his prayer. We should pray that way as well. If you find that you struggle with this, ask the God of heaven to empty you of your self-worth and pride as you pray. Our prayers are never perfect. They are mingled with sin. But pray we must, and in our prayer, we strive for humility before our God. The Spirit will help and give grace as we pray, but we must remember that our prayers are not heard because of our righteousness but only because of the righteousness of Christ.