Bend Me!

Last week, my seven-year old son made a rather honest statement while expressing his dissatisfaction with our choice of restaurants. He wanted to go to...McDonald's! Shocking, I know.
But we didn't eat at McDonald's. In voicing his displeasure he exclaimed, "But I want to do what I want to do!" Isn't that the exact root of sin? We want to do what we want to do. If sinners created a social club or organization, that would be a perfect mantra for advertisement. Think about it...Sinners: Doing What We Want Since 6000 B.C. Or Want It. Do It. Sinners. But we must yield our will to God. We must learn to want what He wants. We are taught this surrender by the Holy Spirit as God continues to shape us into the image of Jesus. Recently, I read of the Welsh revival that began in 1904. God used a young man by the name of Evan Roberts as an instrument in reaching people with the gospel. Evan's prayer, inspired by the words of another, was simple: "O Lord, bend me!" Evan initially preached to seventeen young people who responded to his appeal for repentance and obedience. Within a half year, tens of thousands were converted and sweeping social changes came as a result. If only I would learn to humbly pray, "O Lord, bend me!" Bend me away from what I want and toward what you want. May your desires become my desires. Instead of clinging to my ideas and yearnings, may I surrender them to you. May I do what you want me to do, and not what I want to do. O Lord, bend me!