Willing to Be Made Willing

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” — Philippians 2:13 (KJV)

Frederick Brotherton Meyer was born in London in 1847 and grew up in a Christian home. He felt called to be a minister when he was just sixteen, went to college, and became a pastor in Liverpool and then York.

In York he became friends with a little-known American evangelist called D. L. Moody, who taught him that a great preacher must also be a great worker. But the real turning point came later, in the city of Leicester.

There Meyer met a group of young people about to go to China as missionaries, among them a famous young cricketer called C. T. Studd. Their joy showed Meyer that something was missing in his own life. He realised there was one area, one “key” to his heart, that he hadn’t handed over to Jesus. He couldn’t bring himself to do it.

So he prayed an honest prayer: “I am not willing, but I am willing to be made willing.” And God answered. The surrender he couldn’t manage on his own was given to him.

From then on, Meyer’s preaching changed. Instead of just teaching facts about God, he helped people walk closely with God, filled with the Holy Spirit. His churches in Leicester and London grew to thousands of people. He spoke at conferences on five continents, set up homes for people in need, and wrote more than seventy books, which sold in the millions.

One of the best loved was The Secret of Guidance. It was written for ordinary Christians with real questions: How do I know what God wants? Why do I feel far from him? What do I do with my worries? How do I survive sorrow?

Those are questions many teenagers ask too. Which subjects should I take? Which friends are good for me? What should I do after school? What if I feel nothing when I pray?

Meyer’s first lesson is the one from his own life. If there is something you’re not willing to give to God, you don’t have to pretend. Be honest, and ask him to make you willing. That is a prayer God loves to answer.

One thing to do this week: think of one area of your life you find hard to hand over to God. This week, pray Meyer’s prayer about it every day: “Lord, I am not willing, but I am willing to be made willing.”