What to do next

I haven't added anything for well over a month. I keep waiting for the perfect time, and of course, it doesn't come. I just finished a series at church on Nehemiah, and thoroughly enjoyed it. The book has become a great encouragement to me in seeking to walk in God's direction. I thought about blogging on Nehemiah, since I've got so much material, and may still do that. This week we start a series on Ruth, another great Old Testament story with powerful implications for us as we walk with Jesus. I could blog about that. The story reminds me of the promise in Romans 8, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose."

I did the series this summer on God's will, and that promise also fits that. I do not always understand His ways, my call, and the call of all who name the name of Jesus, is to remain faithful and obedient.

There is this great blog by a pastor in Washington DC. He's doing some very innovative things in trying to reach this generation for Christ, and in addition to that they have a fantastic looking coffee shop! He blogged about a new book called "Deadly Viper Character Assassins" (October 16 entry). Not only do I like the title of the book, its a great subject, walking in integrity.

Charley is in rare form again, observing the return of Pope John Paul II. You should check it out.

Alright, I'm back at this again. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, whether a series, or just random thoughts, my blogging is back. I enjoy it too much to not continue. more later.

God's will 6

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways” (Isaiah). Absolutely true. I don’t believe that whatever I think is what God thinks. I have been proven wrong too many times to count. But that can also be said to those who say “I just trust God’s will”. Because they don’t believe someone can be healed, then God must not want it.

The bigger issue is: how do we so immerse ourselves in our relationship with God that we do increasingly think His thoughts after Him, rather than our own earthly ideas?

“Pray without ceasing” for this is God’s will for your life. Immerse is the right word. Immerse ourselves in His word, think His thoughts (meditate on the word), worship, talk about Jesus to others, let God dominate your thinking.

I don't have this whole thing figured out, not by a long shot. But I do believe, again, that His will on earth as it is in heaven is, in some way, attainable, or Jesus would not have taught us to pray that.

I believe we spend far too much time dwelling on circumstances and what we think, rather than God's Word and what He says.

God's will part 5

Let’s get down to the issue. Praying for God’s healing involves much more than what many of us are willing to give. So we then pray God’s will and we don’t have to do much else. Oh we pray, and some even pray a lot, but we don’t pray in faith. We really don’t believe God can do what we’re asking. Or maybe somehow we’re just not worthy of receiving. That’s pious gobbly-gook. None of us are worthy, so get over yourself.

Let’s start getting passionate about “thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” If there is no sickness in heaven, why would we ever accept that sickness is the “will of God” here on earth? You can argue all you want about sickness, and that good people haven’t received healing and have died, God doesn’t always heal, etc. All of that is true. But think about this. We’re arguing from our experience, not from Scripture. Does our experience nullify the truth of the Scripture? The Bible says that God wishes all men to come the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but not all do. Does that, therefore, mean that salvation through Jesus Christ is not true?

It is a fact that not all are healed. In my own prayer time, more have not been healed than have been healed. Do I then give up? That’s what too many of us do. Which goes back to my earlier writing, we then claim “God’s will”, and cease from fervent prayer, or from prayer that is said in faith.

The Scripture says you and I can pray down on earth as it is in heaven. “Lay hands on the sick and they will recover.” Jesus said on many occasions, “Your faith has healed you.”

We superimpose our experience onto the Scriptures rather than letting the Scripture form our theology and belief system.

God's will

Here is an illustration of praying with faith, and praying God’s will:

Luke 18:35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." 38 He called out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" 39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" 40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 "What do you want me to do for you?" "Lord, I want to see," he replied. 42 Jesus said to him, "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you." 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.

The blind man’s response in the NIV doesn’t give justice to what the man said. The NAS says, “And he said, “Lord, I want to regain my sight!” That is a man of passion!

Notice he didn’t say, “Lord, if it be your will”, or “Lord, I humbly beseech thee for healing, but only if you wish it,” or even, “Lord, I just want your will done.” No, he boldly and with great abandon proclaimed “I want to see!”

He would have had trouble fitting into a polite Baptist prayer meeting.

What would have happened if he has listened to the crowd? Nothing, absolutely nothing. But at least the crowd could have said, “well, God’s will was done.”

And the crowd would have been wrong.

The way Jesus taught us to pray God’s will is not the way we use God’s will.
Stop playing life (and prayer) safe. Start praying more than God’s will.

Start pursuing God’s will: that His Kingdom would come on earth as it is in heaven.

Excuses for God's will

Let me recap the last few days:
The prayer, “God’s will be done” is probably prayed more than other phrase. There is a time for that, and there is a season when that needs to be done. I know Matthew 6 says, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. We focus on “thy will be done” and not on the description of “thy will”, which is “on earth as it is in heaven”.

Why do we pray “God’s will be done”?

• Gets God off the hook if it didn’t turn out the way we wanted
• Keeps us from praying with fervency and persistence
• Keeps us from really seeking His will
• Keeps us from understanding His will
• Keeps us from pursuing His will
• Keeps us from praying at all
• Keeps us from building our faith
• Keeps God at a distance, where (often) we’re more comfortable. (to pray with more passion means we have to pursue God, we have to hunger for Him to invade our lives. Many don’t want to do that, because God is much safer at a distance, see Exodus 20:18-21)
• Keeps our image, reputation and pride in tact.

People who are in love and pursue the one they love do so at the abandon of their reputation or image. They lose all perspective of what others think of them.

The ones who passionately pursue the "on earth as it is in heaven" part of "thy will be done" are the ones who receive the blessing. God becomes more important than dignity or reputation.

God's will and prayer

I talked about praying “God’s will” is not really what Jesus taught yesterday. Is God’s will all that mysterious? Is it so unknowing, unreachable and unfathomable that we have to resign our prayers to “may your will be done”?

Right away, you think of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). In the midst of the prayer, Jesus even taught us to pray, “Thy will be done.” Yes, but what is the rest of the phrase? “. . . on earth as it is in heaven.” Jesus defines God’s will by saying that if it’s done or not done in heaven, that’s the way it’s supposed to be here. We, therefore, have permission to pray accordingly, with confidence. Maybe His will isn't as difficult to discern as we might think.

Let’s get specific. Praying God’s will in reference to healing is used too many times to count. I include myself in that group, because I’ve often prayed the same thing. Sometimes the prayer is said because I truly don’t know what else to pray. In standing before a person who is terminal, with the last breaths coming, what else can be prayed? (Forgive me if that sounds like a lack of faith).

Far too often, though, the prayer is prayed because of a lack of faith. We really don’t believe that God can and/or will do something about the given situation for which we are interceding.

God's Will

I want to do this series on “God’s will”, and specifically in reference to how we pray. The term God’s will, or our praying that God’s will be done is used often in the midst of prayer, especially Christian prayers. Somehow, praying God’s will makes us more spiritual. When we pray His will be done we believe we are accepting whatever God chooses to do in a given situation. We feel really pious and spiritual because however the situation turns out we have “accepted His will”. Others then respond, “Yes, may God’s will be done.” Our spiritual work is done so we can go home from our prayer time or prayer meeting and pay little if any attention to what we prayed. Praying God’s will gets us off the hook of ever having to pray again or to pray with any type of fervency. (Yes, there are those who do pray with passion when they pray God’s will, but that seems to be the exception rather than the rule.)

Praying "God’s will" may be religious, and make us feel good, but is that what Jesus taught?

more on that next.