40 DAYS OF PRAYER: DAY 16
Gods Authority
Patterns of prayer cont…
“Your will be done”
Matthew 6:10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Can we really understand that Gods perfect will is always being done in Heaven? It’s difficult to understand because we see the continuous human free will being done on Earth. Pride, selfishness, greed and evil. As we pray this we are asking that Gods will be accomplished on planet Earth. Really what the heart of this is that we pray, is that Gods will becomes our will. I have said it before, God, what do you want for me? Help me desire that and please provide all I need to accomplish your will. What does God call us to do as believers?
Micah 6:8 He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?
We are to live upright, doing good to others, caring for others as much as we would care for ourselves. As we pray it should include praying for others, that they would submit to the will of God as well, that they would love others over their own desires. Loving God, loving people. Our relationship with God is dependent on our obedience to His will. Seeking Gods will should be the starting point of everything we pray, ask and do.
Psalms 143:10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
Matthew 7:21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
Matthew 26:39 And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”
Matthew 12:50For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
Proper Perspective:
Philippians 2:3-8. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Can we have a Christ like attitude? We should. Think abut it for a min. We usually approach God with our own agenda. We want to pray, “may our will be done”. God, grant my wishes according to my will, answer according to my own desires.
God will always answer our prayers, but it may be a different answer than we want. He knows what we need. The ongoing debate among Christians about praying and Gods will, is that he will answer wether or not we pray. Or, why pray if God knows everything we need before we ask? Some wonder if God will take any action if we do not make a request? We must trust that God is sovereign, and wants the best for us, we exercise our faith muscles and put our will in its proper place. As we pray, we pray in faith, believing ALL of Gods promises and that he truly wants the best for us.
Luke 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart
All of us pray for change in our circumstances or surroundings, but the real work of prayer is that it changes us from the inside out.
Romans 12:1-2 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
As with any relationship, the more we talk with God, the more we find ourselves changing to please him, to do His will. There are many times I have prayed and seen circumstances change, but I have noticed something even more important, prayer changes me and my priorities.
A few people have asked why I diid not adjust the 40 days of prayer to match what is happening in our world with COVID, the political realm and civli unrest? My response? Nothing in Gods word has changed. It is still true and God is on the throne regardless of the circumstances in our world. If we will apply the basics of Gods word and prayer to our daily lives it will directly address what is happening in our lives on a daily basis. Especially with COVID, politics and civil unrest. Gods authority has not been compromised!
Hold steady… eyes on God!
Prayed for you all this morning!
Much Love and blessings, Pastor Scott