45 Seconds That Will Change Your Life

I wasn’t expecting it to change my life.

One Sunday, a pastor said, “When you wake up in the morning, what are your first thoughts? They may be about something the night before or what you need to do that day.

“What if, instead, you were to slide out of bed onto your knees and give your day to God in a prayer of surrender?”

A Transforming Habit

The idea struck a deep chord in me. I started doing it the next day. That was 2.5 years ago. Now, it’s a habit I hope to never break.

The transforming power is not found in doing it for a week or two, but every day over months and years. This simple, 45-second practice really can set the tone for our days and lives.  

At first, I surrendered my life in whatever way came to mind, but later, I started using a prayer from early Methodism.  

To Love and Be Loved

As spiritual revival broke out in 18^th century England, Methodism’s founder, John Wesley wanted to create a worship experience to renew a believer’s a binding agreement to love and be loved by God. He called it a Covenant Service.

It soon became the accepted way early Methodists would ring in God’s gift of a new year.

The most well-known part of the service is the “Wesley Covenant Prayer.” Wesley gave Richard Alleine credit for the prayer when it was introduced in 1755. You can find the traditional, old English version here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wesley_Covenant_Service#The_Prayer 

I’ve found this prayer so powerful I’ve committed it to memory, so I can pray it anywhere. However, I sometimes experiment with new versions to keep it fresh.

Surrendering Ourselves

Here’s the “Wesley Covenant Prayer for Today” from my friend, Craig Finnestad, lead pastor of Water’s Edge Church in Omaha, Nebraska.

I was once mine. From this point forward, I am Yours.

Make clear my purposes in life.

Place me among my loved ones and expand my heart to love all.

Help me to think the things You want me to think,

say the things You want me to say,

and do the things You want me to do,

even if it means I am belittled, ignored, or criticized.

Give me people to encourage, serve, and love.

Give me times of peace and rest so I can love and be loved by You.

Let me be a light to a dark world so people can see You working in me.

Make me humble and remind me that everything I have is because of You.

Thank You for times of happiness and prosperity; they are a gift.

Thank You for Your presence and promise in days of sadness and hardship. I emerge stronger and wiser.

Let me discover, embrace, and fulfill Your will for my life.

With joy & in fullness, I give my possessions, my time, & my energy to You & to Your purposes.

Almighty, holy, & blessed God: Father, Son, & Holy Spirit, You are my true love & I am Yours.

And so it is. Let the covenant I am making here on earth be acceptable & pleasing to You. Amen.

An Invitation

As 2025 begins, perhaps the Holy Spirit is inviting each of us to surrender our lives afresh each day.

Whether we pray some version of this Covenant prayer, The Lord’s Prayer or something more personal, praying on our knees is a sure way to invite a fresh outpouring of God’s power to work in and through us.

Praying with you.

BIG NEWS!

After a year, I finally finished the manuscript of something I’ve carried inside me for over a decade. It’s about being and making disciples of Jesus. (Turns out, golf is optional.)

SO grateful for those who have been praying for me and this labor of love. More to come in 2025!

Speaking of the new year, I’m moving to a new format in 2025. This will be my last post on WordPress. I am switching to Substack beginning January 1.

Thanks for going on the journey with me!

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