Prayer Challenge Sept. 19 – Me, Me, Me (Vanity)

Day 19 – Me, Me, Me (Vanity)

Prayer Time Goal: 19 Minutes

Without the right focus, it’s nearly impossible to avoid being trapped in today’s web of “Me, myself, and I”. Appearances and accomplishments are desperately clung to in order to validate us and provide a space of being “somebody” within society. The false comfort and security of the outward, provides a cushion for the blunt impact of rejection and uncertainty that many may feel inwardly. Still, the more absorbed we are in self, the emptier we become.

Vanity, like a spider web, is easy to get wrapped in, but it would never support your weight. A spider web could never carry you, you’ll fall right through it. The deception of vanity is that we become so addicted to it, not realizing that we are so much more than the external. We need so much more than the external to survive and live the fullness that God intended for us. The biblical book of Ecclesiastes dissects vanity in such a “wake up call” kind of way. Because our life span is shorter (and more uncontrollable) than we stop to realize, much of what we put our hard efforts toward is meaningless. Author Karla Hawkins provides a concise and pretty accurate take on this web of vanity in this short article (I highly recommend it!): https://www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2015/09/02/top-7-bible-verses-about-vanity/

Today, we focus on the areas where our “Me” vision needs adjusting and sobering.

1 Timothy 4:8 For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

Ecclesiastes 5:10 He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity.

Proverbs 31:30 – Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Psalm 127:1 – Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Psalm 144:4 Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow.

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