Bible Study

Title: Meism
Date: Sep 30, 2008
Topic(s): Prayer
Scripture: Psalm 22:3-8, Psalm 111:4, Psalm 71:22, Psalm 86:15

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A few years ago a research team studying American lifestyles met a young nurse named Sheila. She told them, "I believe in God although I'm not a religious fanatic. I can't remember the last time I went to my church. My faith has carried me a long way. It's Sheilaism. Just my own little voice. It's just trying to love yourself and be gentle with yourself."

This has become such a prevalent attitude that researchers have even coined a new word for it: meism. The Urban Dictionary defines meism as "Self-importance without any evidence that we (or our world view) actually matter."

And the saddest part of this scenario is that "meism" has invaded the Church. If we were able to listen to many of the prayers of professing Christians, we'd find that they were focused on me. "Lord, help me; Lord bless me; Lord, . . ." It's me, me, me, me---I'm the center of my prayers.

It's not that me should never enter the picture. God wants us to bring our needs to Him, but that's not the place to start. Let's look at a better way.

What Does God Say?

I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments (Daniel 9:4, ESV).

• How does Daniel begin his prayer?
• What makes God worthy of this response?
• God shows these traits toward whom?

My Thoughts

Many people confuse adoration and praise. There is a significant difference between the two. Praise expresses thanksgiving for what God has done. Adoration revels in who God is. Praise focuses on deeds; adoration focuses on character. Thus a prayer of adoration prays back to God who He is. God, of course, doesn't need to be reminded of who He is, but we do. It's for our benefit, not His. If we are ever to break the stranglehold of "meism," we need to remember that we have a great and awesome God who is faithful and merciful toward those who love Him.

My Part

This week try to pray at least once for five minutes without referring to yourself. Focus instead on God's character such as His holiness, His faithfulness, His compassion, etc. Use these words (holy, faithful, compassionate and others) to find verses in the Psalms that talk about God's characteristics. (The Book of Psalms is filled with adoration. The verses under Scripture will get you started.) Take these verses and pray them back to God.

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