1 Chronicles 20

“Lord, Use Me in Spite of Me”

I do not know how many times I’ve uttered this prayer out of an immense desire to be useful.  I have always sensed however there is more to understand than to simply ask to for God grace cover mistakes and make ones life useful.  Looking at verse one of this chapter will give some insights to this prayer of mine.

Anyone familiar with David’s life will recognize the ominous allusion to David’s failure, “but he remained in Jerusalem”.  This is of course when David’s life begins being turned upside down by his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah.  But it is not mentioned here in Chronicles, why?  Because the point the author is to show how God is blessing his people.  To give a detailed account of David’s sin would not be relevant to the author’s purpose.  But it is as if to say God is using David in spite of his sin and inability.  Kind of like my prayer, “Lord, use me in spite of me.”

I find fault in praying like this, though I will continue to pray like this until the Lord teaches me a better way.  The fault I see is that praying in such a way may easily assume the Lord’s grace in the midst of moral failure or in another sort of responsibility.   It might be all to easy to disregard one’s responsibilities given to Him by the Lord only to say, “Ah, Lord use me in spite of me!”  The Lord is faithful to bless his people, even through broken and disobedient people, but consider the personal turmoil of David because of this period being derelict of his duty.  In the time when kings go out, he was at home being idle, and idleness gave opportunity for death.

It is wise to be mindful of ones weakness. Paul said, I will glory in my infirmity that the power of Christ may rest upon me (2 Cor. 12:9).  But the idea Paul has is not based on laziness to say, “Ah, God will use me no matter what I do!”  It is the same Paul who said, “For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live” (Rom 8:12). Those who love God and live in gratefulness for what Christ is doing will both have the desire to be used of God for the sake of others, and desire to “put to death” sinful thoughts and attitudes.  Our weaknesses are made by the Lord for the Lord, that in Him we might learn to be content and full.  God created us to be dependent creatures with needs that is intended to met in the Lord.

It was our Lord who became weakness on the cross that we might be made strong in Him. And even though there is enough grace to go around for all of man’s sin and weakness, God gives His Spirit to “mortify” all that refuses God’s reign in our lives.  Praise God who gives the victory!

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