Today’s devotional is from Rizeup.us (Marc Koch) – It is a great experience in prayer & turning back to God.
KNOW THE WILL
“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
– 1 John 5:14 (NKJV)
If you’ve been a believer for more than ten minutes, you
know that prayer isn’t a simple matter of getting whatever you ask for. God
isn’t obligated to grant our every request. He’s a Father, not a genie. And as
any parent knows, children don’t always ask for the right things. They can ask,
demand, and insist on things that are going to be detrimental to their
well-being.
God possesses this parental perspective, and so He doesn’t
guarantee to do whatever we ask of Him. However, He does promise to respond to
requests that are “according to His will.” Here’s a truth that is 100 percent
true 100 percent of the time: God’s will is always good for us. It may not
always feel good, but it will always be good. And so when we pray God’s will,
we’re praying for what’s best for us, and that’s precisely what our Heavenly
Father wants for us.
Our requests need to be filtered through an understanding of
God’s will. Otherwise, we can waste a lifetime asking for things that He’s
never going to give us. And if we should happen to find ourselves in a rut like
that, we’ll grow bitter, disappointed, and angry with God . . . even though
He’s only doing what’s best for us.
Be wise when it comes to what you pray for. Know what God’s
will is, and ask along those lines. When you do, you’ll see Him work in ways
that you never thought possible.
And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know
that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (1 John 5:15 NKJV)
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I think the concept of God’s Will is something over the last year that has made it into every one of my prayers. Not just as Marc states above as praying for God’s Will to be done, but to even know and understand what God’s Will is for our lives. Each day I ask, Hey God, what is Your Will for me again? The more I pray about it though the more pieces He lets me in on, don’t get me wrong, I don’t know fully His will for me and my purpose, but I have understood pieces and directions He wants me to go.
There is a great book out there that I would recommend if you want to understand more about praying God’s Will. It was after reading it a few years back that I really “got it” concerning praying for God’s Will and not just my wants or needs. The title is It’s not about me by Max Lucado.
May God bless you!
myBlessedHope 