READY?

 

In Luke 11:1, One of the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray! And the Lesson begun…

Whenever you pray, he told them… You should say…” Our father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name, Your Kingdom Come, your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven….”

Before the disciples could ask of their daily bread, Jesus taught them to ask for God’s will. Sounds easy, right? The question is, whenever we ask for God’s will in our lives, are we ready for His response? Do we struggle with prayer items where our desired outcome is not necessarily the will of God? Do we reach a point in prayer as believers and we feel like pleading God’s will to align to our desires?  When we pray for God’s will to be done in our lives, how ready are we?

Jesus in Mathew 26: 39,42 and 44 in a challenging circumstance made this prayer to His Father “My Father if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me, nevertheless, not what I desire but as you will and desire”. This is a clear indication that at times accepting the will of God is not as easy as we say it in prayer. Sometimes it is a place of discomfort and great sacrifice.

Paul, a great servant of the Lord in 2^nd Corinthians 12:7-9 speaks of how he was given a thorn in the flesh to keep him from boasting about the great revelations he received. Just like Jesus, three times he pleaded and begged the Lord that it may depart from him, but the Lord always reminded him that “His grace is sufficient and His (God’s) strength is made perfect in weaknesses.”

 Now to me and you, what if it is God’s will that we tarry in that desert we are in For His own Glory? What if He wants to set us apart before He lifts us to the next level so that no one can share His glory in our lives? What if God says no to that dream Job because He sees the future that you can’t see? What if the healing won’t be coming sooner as you desire? Yes, the word Says that He honors the desires of our hearts, but the there is a place for His will…Does that change who He is? And no, we are not talking about what we go through because of our sins.

Truth is, at times we wake up feeling defeated, frustrated, beaten up and discouraged just because God’s will be prevailed against our desires which is an answered prayer when we asked for God’s will “Let your will be done in our lives”😊😊😊 Brethren regardless of how we feel, one thing is crystal clear, God has a purpose for our lives. He has good things in store for us to have and behold in this present life here on earth. God wants us to live a life of fullness in His will. The psalmist says in Psalms 57:2 “I will cry to God most High, who performs on my behalf and rewards me, who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them (AMP). God’s desire is to fulfil His purpose in our lives, but we have a role to play through the choices we make in the circumstances we find ourselves in.

If we are to live our lives with the desire to fulfil God’s will and purpose in our lives, we have a few guidelines:

      Live a life of prayer- Jesus says ask and it shall be given: let us ask for Wisdom, Grace, Devine guidance and everything that concerns our lives

      Reading the word of God- This is the breath that feeds our spiritual man guiding us on purposeful living

      Mentorship and accountability- having some one in our lives who we look up to and open to. I must confess, this is not east for some of us, but it is very important. Proverbs 11:14 says where there is no guidance people fall, but in abundance of counsellors, there is safety.

       Reflect and retreat-This involves taking time to be alone and still, away from the ups and downs of life. Appraising our lives, taking count of what needs to be worked on, arears of strengths and weaknesses and asking God for direction over our lives. Not only during the beginning of a new year but repeatedly…

Next time in that prayer closet when we ask for God’s will, let us evaluate our selves…are we ready for His answer? Let your will be done Oh LORD!

#Laura B Ponders