A Life Shaped and Re-shaped by Prayer

Tuesday, Week 2 - Philippians 2:5-11: Ceding Control

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 
 who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited, 
 but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form, 
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross. 

 Therefore God also highly exalted him
   and gave him the name
   that is above every name, 
 so that at the name of Jesus
   every knee should bend,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
 and every tongue should confess
   that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father. 

This is perhaps the oldest piece of Christian liturgy that we know of.  It is believed to be a hymn to Christ that early Christians sang.  Paul didn’t write it; instead he inserts it in his letter as a way of encouraging his readers to change their minds about how they are viewing things.  There is some sort of conflict in the Philippian Church, and Paul is writing to encourage them all to change.  Notice that he does not side with one faction, as if the problem is about who is right.  Rather, he calls upon everyone to begin thinking and acting like Jesus (not thinking about Jesus, but thinking like Jesus).

Thinking and acting like Jesus, will be addressed today and in remaining days of this week.  It includes: giving up the need to be in control (today), living with intentionality (tomorrow), expecting reversals (Thursday), and working for the common good (Friday).

Paul’s instruction to “Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus” includes the call to give up the need to be in control.  Jesus, after all, was out of control. He did what he believed he was called to do, without having the ability to control the reaction of others.  It got him reviled, beaten, arrested, and ultimately executed.  The disciples wished he would seize more control, calling down an army of angels, but he did not.  Instead he engaged his daily life boldly, trusting that God would provide.  The second stanza of the hymn above proclaims the resurrection and the exaltation of Christ; it is witness to the truth that God does come through for those who trust in him.

We live our daily lives attending to various responsibilities, making certain plans and following through with them.   This may give us the illusion that we are in control. In fact we are not; we are one accident, medical crises, fiasco away from God knows what.  So too, the emptiness we experience at times, is beyond our control to fill.  Thus, we may practice the spiritual discipline of letting go of a measure of control in some aspect of our life.  It could be in our parenting, our relationship with a difficult other, a conflict at work, the incessant need to be happy, or something else.  “Don’t be so wrapped up in the need for control,” God says, “Trust me to provide."   

As Paul has quoted and old hymn so shall I,

I am weak, but Thou art strong;
Jesus, keep me from all wrong;
I’ll be satisfied as long
As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Refrain:
Just a closer walk with Thee,
Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,
Daily walking close to Thee,
Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

Through this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,
Time for me will be no more;
Guide me gently, safely o’er
To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

(anonymous)