A Fact About God to Consider When You Pray – His Sovereignty

No purpose of God’s can be thwarted (from Job 42:2).

Pray like this: Your will be done (Matthew 6:10).

Remember to pray according to God’s will

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven (Matthew 7:21).

This is God’s will: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. . . . Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37, 39).

How to pray “Your Will Be Done” – 1

Lord, I’m Yours. Whatever the cost may be, may Your will be done in my life. I realize I’m not here on earth to do my own thing, or to seek my own fulfillment or my own glory. I’m not here to indulge my desires, to increase my possessions, to impress people, to be popular, to prove I’m somebody important, or to promote myself. I’m not here even to be relevant or successful by human standards. I’m here to please You.

I offer myself to You, for You are worthy. All that I am or hope to be, I owe to You. I’m yours be creation, and every day I receive from You life and breath and all things. And I’m yours because you bought me and the price You paid was the precious blood of Christ. You alone, the Triune God, are worthy to be my Lord and Master. I yield to you, my gracious and glorious heavenly Father, to the Lord Jesus who loved me and gave Himself for me; to the Holy Spirit and His gracious influence and empowering.

All That I am and all that I have I give to You.

I give you any rebellion in me, that resists doing Your will. I give You my pride and self-     dependence, that tell me I can do Your will in my own power if I try hear enough. I give you my fears, that tell me I’ll never be able to do Your will in some areas of life. I consent to let You energize me . . . to create within me, moment by moment, both the desire and the power to do Your will.

I give You my body and each of its members . . . my entire inner being: my mind, my emotional life, my will . . . my loved ones . . . my marriage or my hopes for marriage . . . my abilities and gifts . . . my strengths and weaknesses . . . my health . . . my status (high or low) . . . my possessions . . . my past, my present, and my future . . . when and how I’ll go Home.

I’m here to love You, to obey You, to glorify You. O my Beloved, may I be a joy to You!*

*Ruth Myers, 31 Days of Praise, p.171-172,

How to Pray “Your will be done” 2

O God, I give myself to you
To do your will.
Take me and use me
As you will,
Where you will,
When you will
With whom you will.
For your glory in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

*adapted from Charles Francis Whiston, Teach Us To Pray, p. 108.

God is Perfect

Because God’s way is perfect (2 Samuel 22:31), we can pray, “Do what seems best to You (inspired by 2 Samuel 15:26).”

That’s another way to pray, “Your will be done (Matthew 6:10).”

Pray and Speak Humbly

Our house is still for sale. We still want to move.

Today I read, “What you ought to say is, ‘If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that (James 4:16).'”

Today I prayed, “Lord, move us if you want, when you want, where you want, how you want, so we can do what you want.”

 

 

God’s Agenda

Prayer is designed to adjust you to God’s will, not to adjust God to your will. If God has not responded to what you are praying, you may need to adjust your praying to align with God’s agenda.*

Rather than focusing on what you would like to see happen, realize that God may be more concerned with what He wants to see happen in you.*

*Henry T. Blackaby and Richard Blackaby, Experiencing God Day-By-Day, p.257.

How Epaphras prayed

Epaphras always prayed earnestly and hard, for individuals and groups of believers.

He asked God to them strong and perfect, fully confident that they were following the whole will of God (see Colossians 4:12-13).

Pray like he did.

Still More on God’s Will and Prayer

As you pray about God’s will, ask yourself: How does this help me love the Lord? And my neighbor?

Answer honestly.

Jesus said, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. . . . Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39; bold type mine).

More on God’s Will and Prayer

As you pray about God’s will, look for clues in Scripture.

The perfectly preserved Word of God gives timeless instructions for life.