This morning the Lord took me to a passage that perfectly exemplifies this attitude. In Jeremiah 42:1-6, the people asked Jeremiah to petition God regarding His will in a situation. (Remember, they didn't have access to God like we do today through Christ.) Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lord your God will send you to us. 6 Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.” Do I tell God I will obey, regardless of what He wants me to do? Do I make that committment before I know His answer? Is there something right now I am avoiding because I think it will be unpleasant or painful? God gives us the grace (desire and power) to obey, but we have to make the choice. Let's appropriate His grace - today!
As a follow-up to this earlier post, read these familiar words of Jesus as He prayed to the Father the night before He was crucified.
ReplyDeleteThen Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” (Matthew 26:38-42)
Did you notice the subtle difference between the wording of the two prayers? Jesus changed from "if it is possible" to "if it is not possible". This reminds me that prayer is not so much trying to get God to do something I want but letting Him change my heart to match what His will is, what will best accomplish His purposes and bring Him glory. Often this is a process and comes when we are seeking Him more than we are seeking a specific answer. Is there a prayer of my heart that needs to be reworded? Could it be that He will be more glorified if I willingly acknowledge the "if it is not possible to remove this cup" scenario?
That's a good one, Jan. It is good to see the process of how His desires were expressed.
ReplyDeleteHey there! I've been reading your weblog for some time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from New Caney Texas! Just wanted to say keep up the good job!
ReplyDeleteJust goes to show we never know how God is going to use our words, (spoken, or written on the Internet) and who He will lead to them. Glad you have enjoyed it.
DeleteYou know, my son Joshua and I were discussing this very topic when he expressed his disappointment in not getting apart in a play he tried out for. He said something to the effect, that he would have work harder next, which is always a good idea. I reminded when God's answer is no to requests for things we really thought would be good is an opportunity to stretch his faith in God Sovereignty withholding something from his life because God know what is best for his future, not only best for his right now.
ReplyDeleteI pray this prayer often, but secretly want God's will to be my will. Then I realize that God's will exceeds anything I could wish for in this life. He knows what is best even when I do not.
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