Lord, Teach Me to End Well - Your Nightly Prayer - October 13th

Your Nightly Prayer

Audio By Carbonatix

By Rev. Kyle Norman, Crosswalk.com

Your Nightly Prayer

Lord, Teach Me To End Well
Your Nightly Prayer
by Kyle Norman

TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE

“Better is the end of a thing than its beginning.” - Ecclesiastes 7:8

SOMETHING TO PONDER

If you have gone to church for a while, you've probably heard the famous joke, “How many church members does it take to change a lightbulb?” The answer? “Change…who said anything about change!” It’s funny because it is eerily accurate. As we live our Christian lives, we can easily get locked into believing that things are to be done a certain way. What may start as a practical decision or a timely ministry opportunity becomes entrenched in an inviolable routine. What once was new has become tried and true, so why change it? Well, our spiritual lives are never to be static. The Spirit is always moving us to new things, new experiences of God’s kingdom work. After all, scripture never declares “Behold I do the same thing again and again.” No. To all God’s people, God says, “Behold, I am doing a new thing.”

We can’t respond to the new things that God does around us when we remain fixated on the past. Today’s verse from Ecclesiastes reminds us that the end of something is better than endlessly rehearsing the beginning. It can be so very easy to glorify the past and believe that the way forward is simply the way backwards. “If only things could be like they were when we began!”, we lament. But this casts our eyes backwards instead of forwards, and it removes us from what God wants to do in us today. Ecclesiastes 7 goes on to say that we should not concern ourselves with the “good ol’ days” (7:10). The truth is, there is simply no wisdom or life found in wanting to repeat what once was.

Embracing the new things of God’s work means we need to loosen our grasp over our lives; we dare not be in control. This will inevitably mean that there will be times when we must allow seasons or tasks to end. Because if we don’t let something end, how can we ever take up the new thing that God invites us into?

Now this doesn’t mean we can’t rejoice in what once was. Of course we can! And more to the point, we should! We should look back with gratitude on what God has done in our lives, and we should rejoice in God’s work done in us and through us. These past places of divine interaction are testimonies to us. They help us turn our attention toward our heavenly Father. It is because God has used us in the past that we can trust that God can use us today. Even though the new thing that God invites us into might be unknown at this time, the fact that God has been gracious in the past means we can anticipate meeting the grace of Jesus in the future. And so, we step out in gratitude, in hope, and in faith.

Where do you feel God calling you to move into something new? What might need to end so that you can more faithfully take up the Spirit’s invitation? The Holy Spirit always guides us through the seasons of our spiritual life. As you rejoice in the season that is drawing to a close, may you open yourself to the season that is just beginning.

YOUR NIGHTLY PRAYER

Almighty God,
Your word tells us that there is a season for everything under the sun, and that you are the Lord and Master of it all. Help me, I pray, to release my grasp of control over my life. When I feel too comfortable with the way things are, I pray that you breathe a spirit of newness into my life. Give me eyes to discern where you lead me into the work of your spirit.
Thank you for your work in my life. I rejoice in all the ways your spirit has moved in me and worked through me. Give me holy restlessness. Help me to move with you when I am tempted to remain firm in my own comfort. When I am tempted to rejoice in what was, give me the faith I need to boldly praise what will be.
I pray all these things in the name of Jesus, my Lord.
Amen.

THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON

1. Do you find it hard to exude gratitude when a season ends? What stops us from expressing gratitude?

2. In Ecclesiastes 7, we find that God's wisdom is often countercultural to the world around us. How does taking time to end well communicate our reliance upon God’s will?

3. The verse ends with “patience is better than pride.” Where is God calling you to deeper patience as you move from one season to another?

The Reverend Dr. Kyle Norman is the Rector of St. Paul’s Cathedral, located in Kamloops BC, Canada. He holds a doctorate in Spiritual formation and is a sought-after writer, speaker, and retreat leader. His writing can be found at Christianity.com, crosswalk.com, ibelieve.com, Renovare Canada, and many others. He also maintains his own blog revkylenorman.ca. He has 20 years of pastoral experience, and his ministry focuses on helping people overcome times of spiritual discouragement.