The Prayer I Was Afraid to Pray
What are we truly gaining in life? Philippians 3:7-12 shows that everything we once valued fades in comparison to knowing Christ.
Philippians 3:10 is one of those verses we love to sing, until we realize it’s not only a song; it’s a pathway. “I want to know Christ,” yes. “The power of His resurrection,” yes. Raise me up. Fix me. Heal me. Change me. But then: “the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings.” And suddenly we whisper, Lord, maybe not that part.
I remember the first time I truly heard this verse. I was in my late twenties, and it stopped me in my tracks. I thought, I am afraid to pray this prayer… but I want it. I saw the power of the resurrection in people who suffered greatly. I wanted what they had and yet…This is where many of us live, isn’t it? We long for closeness with Jesus, but we want it without cost. We want intimacy without the hard work of dying to self, and we want power without the cross.
But Paul is telling the truth: you do not get to know Christ deeply while keeping Him at a safe distance from your pain. Suffering is not automatically sanctifying. But suffering is often the place where Christ becomes more than a doctrine. He becomes your refuge, your strength, your steady Companion. When you suffer with someone, you are tied to them. And Paul says this kind of fellowship, painful as it is, knits us to Jesus in a powerful way.
A friend shared the story of coming alongside a broken friend, feeling compelled by the Lord to stay close. But in doing so, she took on her friend’s suffering, even questioning God’s love for allowing her friend to experience such betrayal, injustice, and sorrow. The heaviness threatened to consume her, but her auto response to sorrow was to run to Jesus. She said by entering her friend’s suffering and wrestling with the Lord over the fairness of it all, she fell more in love with Jesus. He held her and comforted her even when circumstances did not change. She experienced resurrection power in ways she didn’t realize she needed.
Paul speaks as a man who struggles and yet understands the questions his declarations are creating in the Philippians. He adds with astonishing humility: “Not that I have already obtained all this… but I press on” (Philippians 3:12). The great apostle is saying, “I haven’t arrived.” So if you haven’t arrived either, you are in very good company. But notice what he does not say. He does not say, “I haven’t arrived, so I’ll quit.” He says, “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.”
As I am writing this, I am rejoicing with our country over the rescue of the two airmen who ejected from their plane over Iran. The details are breathtaking. As I shared in Sunday’s devotional, one military commentator said, “When we are being trained for such moments, we often hear, ‘Effect your rescue.’”
This is grace and responsibility together. Christ took hold of Paul, so Paul pressed on. Christ promises to always be with Paul, so Paul soaks in the means of knowing the comfort and “rescue” of Jesus, and he longs for the Philippians — and may I say for us to — to do the same.
The Illusion of Spiritual Achievement
This is where your daily life comes in, because “pressing on” isn’t vague, it gets practical. Paul warns us not to misuse “forgetting what is behind” as a way to avoid necessary repentance and reconciliation. If you have hurt someone, you can’t slap a Bible verse on it and say, “That’s behind me.” True grace makes you humble, willing to face hard conversations so you can move forward in holiness.
I think about young motherhood. There was a sin I put at the top of my list: losing my temper with my children. And yes, I remember moments when I really let them have it. It wasn’t enough to say, “I’m sorry,” and then repeat it the next day. I needed a plan. I had to look at my lifestyle: Was I overbooked? Disorganized? Running late? Setting myself up to explode? Was there a better way to prepare for the pressure points? In other words: “effect my rescue.”
I needed Scripture not as a slogan, but as a means of transformation. I camped in Psalm 103.
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger…
Psalm 103:8
And then the line that pierced me:
As a father has compassion on his children… for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.
Psalm 103:13-14
I had to ask: Am I reflecting God’s patience to my children? Do I remember they are dust: little, needy, learning?
This is what pressing on looks like. It is not waiting for God to “zap” you into instant maturity. Instead, it’s recognizing that the way He zaps you is often through His Word, conviction, and a practical next step. He says, “Here is the truth. Now walk. I am walking with you.”
Paul’s perseverance is driven by belonging, not willpower. “Christ Jesus took hold of me” (Philippians 3:12). This means your progress does not rest on your grip on Christ. It rests on His grip on you.
So today, if life is hard, if you are tired of your own repeated failures, hear Paul’s voice: Don’t quit. Press on. Take the next faithful step, even when those steps don’t seem to have anything to do with your present hard places. Display obedience rooted in grace. And when suffering comes, do not conclude God is absent. Sometimes suffering is the very place where fellowship with Christ becomes real, steady, and sweet, because you learn He is enough.
Living for What Lasts
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Pray Philippians 3:10 honestly: tell the Lord what part you’re afraid to pray, and ask Him for grace to trust Him.
...that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.
Philippians 3:10
Make a “press on” plan: identify one repeating sin pattern, one trigger, and one practical change you will make this week.
Spend time in Psalm 103:8–14 and ask God to make His compassion visible in your home.
PRAYER
Father, I want to know Christ — not only in theory but in truth. I want resurrection power in my daily life, and I confess I am afraid of suffering. Help me trust You in the hard places. Thank You that Christ took hold of me, and You will not let me go. Show me the next step of obedience, and give me grace to press on. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
Contact Sharon with comments or questions at dailytreasure@markinc.org.
