02/19/2019
Are you in the midst of trouble and don’t know what to do? Perhaps you cry out to God in prayer for your provision or rescue, but when the answer doesn’t come in your own time you begin to doubt Him. Prayer... it is more than a revelation of our thoughts to God, it is a plea to be within His will. God answers prayer that isn’t at odds to His character, and that is conformed to who He is.
“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.”
1 John 5:13-15 ESV
Praying in the will of God isn’t easy... our own will speaks loudly to us every day concerning its desires. Our will is inclined to conform itself according to the needs of the world, and those around us who are of this world plead it’s case to us. Many ask us to make intercession for them, and their suffering can mask the truth of their plight by calling on our sympathy, and to ignore God’s will as we ask Him to end their suffering. However, praying for God to conform His will to our needs falls on barren ground, and deaf ears. Our prayers and desires are like water that reshapes itself in accordance to the vessel into which it is poured... for prayer to be effective it must shape itself according to the will of God, not the world. Then, we can praise God, not just because He has simply answered a need, but because we have entered into that holy place of His residence, and conformed ourselves to Him... we have taken on the shape of His character and our desire is no longer contrary to His will.
“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!”
Psalms 66:16-20 ESV
So, our will can be easily shaped by the iniquity of the world, and it can be so subtle that we scarcely see it happening. We can confuse righteousness with simple morality, we can believe that just because something appears good it must be righteous, when in fact it is not. God is always good, but not everything that seems good to us is of God; we must discern His will to know His true goodness.
“Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence. I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Psalms 27:12-14 ESV
So when we are experiencing trouble we should ask first for God to reveal His will to us, and then become conformed to it in our desires. In this way our prayers will be heard, and our requests of Him answered.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for answered prayer, and for revealing to us your will so that we might be conformed to it, and ask of you as we should. We thank you Merciful Father for your Holy Spirit who prays for us when we don’t have the words or an understanding of your will. How often Holy Father we find ourselves suffering but can’t seem to discern your will in the midst of our circumstances; how often the pain of the moment clouds our eyesight or muffles our hearing, yet in these times we lean on your Holy Spirit, and the intercession of Jesus to lead us in prayer, and to reveal you to us. Help us Lord to wait upon you in our prayers, and to not mistakenly stand on the misguided prayers and desires influenced by a sinful world, but seek your will in all things so that you hear us. Holy, Holy, Holy, are you my God who teaches me to pray, and gives me understanding of your will as I call out for you. Praised be your name Lord, you who provides for us in all things, and makes provision for our inadequacies in prayer by the work of your Holy Spirit, and the intercession of your Son Jesus Christ. All praise and glory be yours Father as you answer our cries, and make yourself known to the world through your will, and the miracle of answered prayers.
“And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, "Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done."”
Luke 22:41-42 ESV
Rich Forbes