A Prayer About Knowing Christ

When I want to deepen my faith in Christ

DEAR JESUS,

I earnestly proclaim with Paul that I want to “know Christ” and the “mighty power that raised him from the dead.” I realize that Paul also added suffering and death to the equation. He already knew you in terms of his Christianity—as with all believers, he had a personal relationship with you by grace through faith. He also knew the truth about your resurrection from the dead and based his life on it. But here he goes deeper and further, expressing his desire to be totally identified with you. Again, I can easily mouth those words, but am I willing to suffer and die because I am a follower of yours? Nothing I experience in this life will come close to what you endured for me, becoming sin, judged guilty, and crucified in my place. But I do want to be counted worthy to suffer for you. I can get frustrated with small inconveniences and injuries, so please give me courage and strength to endure any physical and emotional suffering that may come. I want to know you, Lord.

I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! Philippians 3:9-11