Lord, make my way prosperous, not that I achieve high station, but that my life may be an exhibit to the value of knowing God.
Jim ElliotRead
Forgive me for being so ordinary while claiming to know so extraordinary a God.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote expresses humility in the face of a divine greatness that feels unattainable compared to one's ordinary life.
Jim Elliot's quote reflects a deep sense of humility and awareness of one's own limitations. He acknowledges that while he seeks to know and understand an extraordinary God, his own existence feels ordinary. This juxtaposition invites a contemplation of faith, suggesting that ordinary people can still have profound spiritual experiences and relationships with the divine, while also highlighting a thirst for a deeper understanding of spiritual matters.
Themes
ForgivenessHumilityFaithSpiritualityOrdinaryExtraordinaryGod
In practice
Example use cases
In a sermon on personal faith, this quote can remind the congregation that everyone has a relationship with God, regardless of their feelings of ordinariness.
More from Jim Elliot
All quotes βGod deliver me from the dread asbestos of βother things.β Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be aflame.
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I have felt the impact of your prayer in these past weeks. I am certain now that nothing has had a more powerful infl uence on this life of mine than your prayers.
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God, I pray light these idle sticks of my life and may I burn up for thee.
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Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.
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None of it gets to be 'old stuff', for it is Christ in print, the Living Word. We wouldn't think of rising in the morning without a facewash, but we often neglect that purgative cleansing of the Word of the Lord. It wakes us up to our responsibility
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