"Sometimes we want things we don't need.
Sometimes we need things we don't want.
Sometimes we want things we already have."
--Adrian Rogers
Prayer can take several avenues. The first one is praying for things we want while not realizing that we do not need them. Indeed maybe the things we want could be bad for us. Many of us have prayed that God would bring us a husband or a wife. Perhaps we knew that the person we were in love with was the "one" but still the relationship ended. Has God failed us? Does God love us and still leave us alone? Our concern is that we pray as the Lord teaches us to, "Thy will be done". God sees the future. Only He truly knows if that person, or any person, is the perfect mate for us.
Have we prayed for healing and not received it? Have we prayed for children? A particular job? Perhaps God is making us wait for a reason. Maybe waiting will make us grow stronger in our faith if we trust and believe that God's timing is perfect. Do you ever thank God for unanswered prayer? I have.
Sometimes the reason our prayers are not answered is because we ask for the wrong reasons. Ask yourself why you want what you are praying for.
"You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." James 4: 3
The second avenue prayer can take is asking God to remove a situation, a pain, or an emotional hurt, but perhaps God is really disciplining us in that situation. Perhaps we have an unconfessed sin that is hindering our relationship with God and others and God, as the loving Father that He is, is disciplining us so that we make much needed changes. He wants us to see our sin and repent.
Sometimes our prayers are not answered because we have unconfessed sin in our lives.
"But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear." Isaiah 59:2
'‘'When the request is not right, God says “No”.
When the timing is not right, God says “Slow”.
When you are not right, God says “Grow”.
But when the request is right and the timing is right and you are right, God says “Go”.’
- Rick Warren
The third avenue prayer can take is praying for something we already have. God has already promised to provide all of our needs.
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4: 19
The objective of all of our prayer is the praise of God. Indeed prayer is "...of Him and through Him and to Him ...." (Romans 11: 36) Who are we praising when we pray? Do we say to God, "Lord, your servant is speaking, listen to me?" in essence, or do we pray, "Speak Lord, your servant is listening?". We should always glorify God in our prayers.
There is no anxiety when we pray the will of God. In Philippians 4: 6 we are told:
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;"
And what happens when we pray "with thanksgiving"? The next verse in Philippians tells us:
"and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Our mind, from whence comes our anxiety, our stress, our depression, will be guarded by the "peace of God". Sometimes it is our greatest trials that teach us the best lessons about having the peace of God. When I was dealing with cancer, I had the greatest peace in my life. I can say with certainty that my heart and mind were being guarded through Jesus Christ!
Prayer is the Holy Spirit showing our hearts the will of God the Father and then returning that back to Heaven. Our prayers are answered when we pray the will of God. We have to learn to trust that God our Father truly loves us, truly wants what is best for us and learn to accept His will and learn from it. How do we know what the will of God is? I Thessalonians 5: 16-18 tells us this:
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
In our prayers we "Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!" (Philippians 4:4) and we will pray that the Holy Spirit will make our will and God's will one!
This is the first verse of a beautiful hymn called "Sweet Will of God" by Lelia Morris
My stubborn will at last hath yielded;
I would be Thine, and Thine alone,
And this the prayer my lips are bringing,
“Lord, let in me Thy will be done.”
Sweet will of God, still fold me closer,
Till I am wholly lost in Thee;
Sweet will of God, still fold me closer,
Till I am wholly lost in Thee.
コメント