Make Me!

Several years ago one morning I prayed a very dangerous prayer. I asked God to help me be the man He wants me to be — no matter what it takes. Yeah, I did that. I asked Him to guide me, and to help me be a good example of a Christian man not only when others are around, but especially when I am alone in my thoughts and on the computer. Then it hit me, “When did God ever say in His word that He would help me in character and integrity?” So I started to ponder this and turns out in my unprompted bible study that when it comes to the character of man, people asked for help; but most of the time the prayer was, Lord make me…!

Psalms

Many places in the Psalms when David is crying out to God he asked the Lord to make him the man He wants him to be.

"Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths." (Psalm 25:4)

"Lord, make me to know my end and what is the extent of my days; Let me know how transient I am." (Psalm 39:4)

"[Lord] Deliver me from all my transgressions; Do not make me the reproach of the foolish." (Psalm 39:8).

"Behold You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom..."Make me hear joy and gladness, that the bones You have broken may rejoice." (Psalm 51:6,8)

"Make me understand the way of Your precepts; So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works. ... Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, For I delight in it. ... You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies; For they [are] ever with me." (Psalm 119:27, 35, 98 NKJV)

No doubt when David relinquished full control of his life to the Lord, He blessed him abundantly; when he retained it to do his own will and follow his own heart -- it cost him greatly.  

Other Old Testament Verses

Even Job, who suffered greatly at the hand of Satan honestly asked the Lord,

"How many are my iniquities and sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin." (Job 13:23). 

Habakkuk In Habakkuk’s hymn of faith, the last verse in his book states,

"The Lord God is my strength; He will make my feet like deer's feet, And He will make me walk on my high hills" (Habakkuk 3:19). 

New Testament Examples

Even in the New Testament, make me in one form or another is used many times.

Jesus said to His disciples, "Follow Me and I will make you fisher's of men." (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17). 

All the disciples had to do was follow Jesus, and Jesus would make them fishers of men.

The leper's statement to Jesus was, "If You will, You can make me clean." (Matthew 8:2; Mark 1:40; Luke 5:12). 

How can a leper heal himself apart from Christ? He cannot. It takes an act of God to cleanse the rotting flesh. So does He cleanse the hearts of sinful men like me.

In Luke 15, in the parable of the prodigal son, the father portrays God the Father. Here, when the son returns home he asks the father,

"I am not worthy to be called your son, but make me like one of your servants." (Luke 15:19).

Now What?

Here is the point to this. When we ask the Lord to help us do a thing, or help us in character, we are really saying to Him is, “Lord, please fill in the gaps that I cannot fill or that I have missed.” This in turn relays a message that: I can do most of it, but need your help to do what I cannot.

My aunt said to me the other day, “The Lord helps those who help themselves.” But I was quick to point out that verse is nowhere in the bible. When it comes to the character of man, miracles, and especially salvation, there is nothing a person can do to help themselves. Why? Because God is sovereign, good, and powerful; man is dead to sin, flawed, and helpless. God, who also has given all authority to His Son, has the authority, the power, and the will to make us vessels of honor or dishonor. So the next time you pray for good character, integrity, and sanctification…I suggest praying to God to make you the man or woman He wants you to be. Because only He can.