Praying God's Will

At our quarterly women's discipleship time at church we have been discussing God's will. In November, Kim discussed the difference between God’s sovereign will, secret or decreed will and God’s revealed will or will of command. Today Courtney discussed discerning God’s will. There are many things to talk about concerning prayer but today I shared what it means to pray in accordance with God’s will. Throughout the time I shared I paused and had different people pray God’s will over us. I pray this is encouraging to you. 

When I think of my past prayer life, many times a vision of  the genie from Aladdin comes to mind. You know the big blue guy who granted wishes. This has to do with my need to confess that I am a recovering (not recovered) self centered prayer. I am someone who spent many years in Christ subconsciously thinking of God as more of a genie then a sovereign Father. I prayed to claim promises for my ease rather than being claimed by God’s promises for His glory. I was not resting in the fact that God is God, but rather I tried to help God be God. I did what I would call “worried prayed”. Have you ever done that? You are fixating on what –if scenarios and how to alleviate the concern all why asking God to take control.   I was praying while dethroning God all at the same time. This is a man-centered gospel and it distorted my view of God. Instead,  our prayer (or prayer life) is to focus on being ­­­­­__claimed__ by God’s ____promises_ In your notes there, opposite of myself trying to claim ease and praying Casey’s will,  our goal again is to be ­­­­­__claimed__ by God’s promises.

So what does it mean to pray God’s will instead of our will?

I think the disciples might have had a similar question. They asked Jesus to teach them to pray in Luke 11:1-2. Earlier in  Luke (Luke 5:16) we learn Jesus was known to go off alone to pray and spend time with God. The disciples saw a connection between Jesus’ effective ministry and His prayer life. Good thing for the disciples and us is Jesus answers their question and teaches them how to pray. In Matthew, Jesus says to His disciples, “pray then like this ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’” Matt 6:9-10 If we continue reading the Lord’s prayer, Jesus says it is appropriate to pray for personal needs  “our daily bread (matt 6:11)”. Jesus also says we can ask God to forgive our individual sins and be with us in temptation (matt 6:12-13). So we don’t need think that it is wrong to ask the Lord for mercy and grace in personal requests. But for today we will focus on the first 2 verses.

The Lord’s prayer begins with “our Father in heaven”. It is important to notice how Jesus addresses God. Praying “Father” is intimate and relational; it describes God as someone who cares, leads, and protects. It also sets the stage for our identity. If we are calling God Father then we are calling ourselves His child. As we pray, we remember our position as beloved child of God. Growing up my dad could do no wrong. It was easy for me to picture God as a father-figure because I had a good relationship with my earthly father. He was my source of wisdom , go-to for advice, and his physical presence made me feel safe and as though all would be alright. My dad on the other hand did not grow up with a father who model Christ so he has often told me that it was hard to call God “Father” until later in his life. As I got older I learned my dad was a sinner just like me. At first I wanted to hold him to a perfect standard and often found myself frustrated if he was not holy. I am now giving my dad grace J But that is the beauty of our God, he is the loving, caring, just Father who is also Holy. I am thankful for my earthly dad but I see now I can be even more vulnerable, safe, and secure in the arms of God. Only a holy Father can love us perfectly. I hope this sets the stage for who’s will we are desiring to pray. A Holy Father.  

After Jesus addresses God, He says “ Hallowed be your name.” As we pray for God’s name to be hallowed, this refers to others and us magnifying Him and recognizing him as Holy Creator. God set apart.  The opposite of hallowing God would be anything else you set apart that receives praise. “Hallowed be ______  (fill in with any idol- kid, job social media account, academics, travels)” Also it is us praying for ourselves to be transformed. To take on His likeness, clothed in  holiness.  The more we conform to Christ, the more Christ is praised.  Again the opposite of this is anytime we are conforming to another idol, this would only lead to man’s empty praise. But when we pray “hallowed be your name”, we are motivated to pursue the holiness of God and to keep Him the center of all we think, say and do. Our prayer is to be transformed in the likeness of God so God’s desires   become our desires   and thus His name is hallowed.  (1) Megan will you pray Hallowed by His Name…… “Holy Lord, praise your name, may you be glorified in all I say and do today. It is our great desire that your name would be feared and revered for who you are, our God, Father, Creator, Holy One. Give me eyes to see people and your creation as you do. Let my heart break for what breaks yours, let me see and meet the needs of the hurting people around me so you get the glory.”

Next Jesus prays for the kingdom of God. Jesus links the kingdom to come with a request that God’s name be hallowed. This use of the kingdom of God is referring to the realm where people do His revealed will freely and joyfully. If God’s will is done freely and joyfully in this kingdom, His name is hallowed or regarded as holy by the kingdom’s citizens! Us!

We pray, “Your kingdom come” also because there are still those on earth who do not submit to God’s rule. Many who do not called Him, Lord. We are praying for God to change their hearts. We are praying for those who don’t worship Him to recognize their need for Savior.  We are praying for the future to come when all sin and rebellion against God is finally gone. Our prayer is for His Kingdom to come where all bow at the feet of Jesus, our Savior and Lord.  For example, when we pray for our neighbor’s heart to soften to the gospel, we are praying for them to bow willingly to His rule; thus we are praying for His kingdom to come. We are praying God’s revealed will.  When we pray for our women’s ministry, we are praying for people to learn His way and thus for His kingdom to come. When we pray our Austin Briggs and our homeless ministry, we are praying for people to be served by our servant King and thus for His kingdom to come. This is God’s will and we are praying in accordance with his commands. (2)  Erin  will you pray His Kingdom Come  ….“ King Jesus, we know are reigning right now with authority over all things and yet we experience much darkness here on earth. We pray for brokenness to be repaired, for relationships to heal and each of us to recognize you and your grace each day. We pray for our neighbor, our family, and the nations to recognize you as Savior. Father, bring your kingdom in greater measure today beginning with my heart and pouring out to my home, community, city, nation and to the ends of the earth.”

John Calvin comments on the Lord’s prayer, “The substance of this prayer is, that God would enlighten the world by the light of his Word — would form the hearts of men, by the influences of his Spirit, to obey his justice, and would restore to order, by the gracious exercise of his power, all the disorder that exists in the world.” Yes Lord “your kingdom please come”

And then after “your kingdom come” Jesus says “your  will be done”. It might seem strange to pray for God’s will to be done. Scripture is quite clear that God’s will, at least in some sense, is always done. Psalm 115:3 says that “our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” These are the sovereign, secret or decreed will of God in keeping with Deut 29:29 that tells us some things the Lord reveals and some things He has not. If God ordains something in His decreed will, it will come to pass.   So thus, God has an agenda/decree. But He has decreed to bring about this will through His people. So we are apart. Our prayer is prompted by the Holy Spirit and thus we get joy and fellowship in seeing His grace. Praying for others, repenting together, and sharing praises and joys with one another is another way we get to participate in His grace. Oh how this strengthens our faith and dependence on the Lord.  

So here though…..when Jesus prays God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven,  Jesus is praying for God’s revealed will  to be followed. Again God’s revealed will, refers to those things that He finds morally pleasing and are written in scripture. Think of the ten commandments, it pleases God that they are followed because God approves of them. His will is that His Word is obeyed and His commandments are kept. Wayne grudeum said when referring to Matt 6:9-10 “We are to seek for perfect obedience to God’s moral or revealed will on earth so that God’s will may be done on earth as it is in heaven” This will is repeatedly broken. You and I go against it. God’s will is we are kind to our neighbor but we become bitter or envious  at our friend over something they have that we don’t.  We don’t always follow God’s will and we also know we don’t always pray according to God’s will from James. James 4  says “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? ² You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. ³ When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” What motives were I praying with when I was praying for my own ease and comfort?  To pray for God’s will to be done is to pray for His revealed will to be kept. This is a reason knowledge of scripture is tremendously helpful in prayer. So we can follow the 1^st Christians who prayed scripture or prayed God’s revealed will  (Acts 4:23-31)…And It is to pray that we would not just do it out of duty but with hearts that want to serve God.  For example when we pray for help teaching our kids a biblical world view that is praying God’s will to be done. When we pray to have  sacrificially generous hearts and to be  good stewards of our money and time that is praying God’s will to be done. Our prayer for His will to be done is where others and we obey God’s revealed will with joyful submission.  

The best example  of submission is Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Christ prayed earnestly. We know Jesus prayed in faith. He put His request to the Father “take this cup away from me.” It was straightforward and Jesus  was crying for relief from His duty.  But God said no. The way of suffering was God’s plan. It was the Father’s will. It was not Satan’s idea. And Jesus accepted it. Jesus accepted the revealed will that cross was necessary. This wasn’t hidden. This was prophesized about years prior.  Jesus said next “NEVERTHELESS, not My will, but Yours, be done”  Nevertheless was the supreme prayer of faith. We want to model Jesus’s authentic prayer of faith and submission. See Jesus doesn’t presume a granted request or place a demand on God. God is not His genie. It is always a spirit of submission. In our prayers we let God be God.

(3) Sara will you pray God’s will to be done …… “Almighty Father as the Psalmist says “we wake each day because the Lord sustains us.” Give us all a hunger for your Word. Let us know it is the bread of life. Fill us with a desire to want to obey it. Help us  trust in you in, trust that your design for us is best. May we rest in the security and freedom of your gospel. Remove the idols of my heart. Forgive me when I covet, act in anger, and sin against others. I ask for wisdom Lord on decisions I am facing. Let me hold with confidence the fact that in James you say wisdom is given freely to those who ask. I cry out for boldness and to not shy away from the gospel or succumbed to worldly ways. Let us go and make disciples in your name, Amen.”

Again the whole aim of prayer is that God is glorified and hallowed….. as John 14:13 says , “And whatever you ask in my name, this will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Or John 15:7-8, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”  God gets glory when our actions, including prayer, are based on biblical views of God. God’s will is that we are aware of His agenda to magnify Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit, and His Name. If someone ask you “why do you pray?” what would you say? If you said “ I don’t know. I just felt prompted to because of ___ feeling” then God would not get the glory. But if you said “I pray because God is Lord and He hears me.” Now God gets the glory. We are acting not on a whim but on God centered incentives. Same reason we read the bible. To absorb truth.  I think it is why Andrew preaches; he wants to stir up the truth about God in you so when you act, the gospel is magnified and multiplied through Seattle to the ends of the earth.

Praising, requesting, thanksgiving, repenting, fellowshipping and all the parts prayers are for our good and God’s glory. I just mentioned how God gets the glory but know also prayer is for our good, for our relationship with God. Wayne Grudeum says “ God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means where by our trust in Him can increase” Let this encourage you to not object to prayer because you think “well if God wills it to happen it will so there is not purpose in praying. Or I can’t pray his will perfectly so I shouldn’t at all.” This is missing the point. Let your human nature cry out to God in prayer because prayer changes us.  Praying God’s will is simply praying His Word back to Him.  Let this be an encouraging place to start and stay. Pray all of the Lord’s prayer!  By doing this, our hearts and minds will take on the Lord’s concerns. Just like we said earlier with God’s desires becoming our desires. See when we pray God’s will, God changes our will. Don’t miss this. when we pray God’s will, God changes our will.  Full circle of what we talked about earlier, we conform to His likeness, our priorities are His and thus glorifying His name. Praying God’s will is praying with a heart and mind made in the likeness of Christ.  And we can be confident He will answer these prayers. For example James 1:5-8 says if we ask for wisdom in faith it is granted so here you don’t need to pray “please grant us wisdom for ____ if it is your will”. Be confident as you pray God’s will. This is His revealed will, which He wants you to know and enjoy! 

Lets be excited how it will change our wills. How only God can take a self-centered prayer like myself and soften my heart to His desires. I want to leave you with a charge I read from John Piper…

Finally, don’t neglect the amazing influence you have in the world for good through prayer. By prayer God calls us to join him in shaping history. By prayer we are to influence the wills of presidents and kings and senators and governors and mayors (1 Timothy 2:1–2). By prayer we are to influence the wills of professors and writers and entertainers and editors and pastors and elders and missionaries. By prayer we are to influence the wills of our friends and our enemies. We are to influence the wills of our children by prayer, and our husbands and wives and mothers and fathers and sisters and brothers and neighbors and colleagues and fellow students.

The amount of transforming good you can do by prayer is incalculable. Don’t neglect this great work God has put into your hands. This year let’s use both our instruments to win people over to Christ. Let’s work to change people’s minds with truth and people’s wills with prayer.