30 DAYS OF PRAYER | DAY 2 – Praying for God’s Will to be Done
“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.” -Matthew 6:9-10
The beginning of the “Lord’s Prayer” teaches us that our prayers are to be intentional, personable and seek the will of God in our lives.
As we prepare to launch on January 12, 2014 it is important to remember that we need to be in the will of God. It is certainly good to dream, plan, and prepare for a new work to be done, but we must do so by seeking His will and not our own. This is what Jesus is teaching his disciples when they asked him how they should pray. When we pray in such a fashion we are asking God to move our hearts desire to be in line with His desire. In doing so, we are forever changed and God is glorified, as we become a people seeking and doing the will of the Father who has sent us out into the city of Edmond.
This church-wide movement starts at the individual level. It starts with you and me in our daily living. God is not just the God of the church when the church gathers. He is also the God of the church when we scatter. This means that we should be prayerfully seeking His will for our lives in our homes, families, friendships, and in our place of employment. If we exert our will over any area of our life, we are essentially telling the Almighty God that he is not truly Lord of our life. My friends, this must never be so. God will never settle for second place.
Therefore, as we pray, we should be asking God to examine the deepest parts of our will and chisel away any part that does conform to His. By doing this, we are asking for His name to be exalted above our own.
Finally, let me leave you with this thought – Jesus, on the night he would be betrayed, prayed the following to our Father in heaven: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” I submit to you that God has given us the freedom to bring any request before him. However, in doing so, we must follow in our Savior’s example and say, “Not my will, but yours, be done.”
What area in your life do you need to say to God the Father, “Not my will, but yours be done.”
Prayer: Heavenly Father, please let us be a church that is submissive to your will, no matter what the cost.
This post was written by Josh Wright, a member of Redemption Church. Josh is married to Heidi Wright and has one child, Emilie. He enjoys watching movies/TV shows, playing games, and spending time with his family.