Praying for His Will

As we grow in faith, we strive to learn to pray for God’s will, not ours.

Last Sunday, our pastor was preaching about the passage in Mark, Chapter 10, where the brothers James and John, approach Jesus and ask him for a favor. They approach him and say, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask.” Mark 10:35

Hmmm, how many of our prayers begin the same way? “Dear, God, please give me A,B,C and D and quickly please.” Are you squirming a little? I know I am.

They then go on to ask Jesus to let the two of them sit on his right and left in his glory. They would like to be exalted above the other disciples and anyone else, for that matter.

It’s easy for us to sit and judge these guys. Isn’t it? What a selfish request for them to make, right?

But, when we honestly look at our own prayers, do we fare much better?

My pastor pointed out that Jesus often answers the simple prayers of young Christians, to let them know He is listening and to grow their faith. I know he answered my prayers for good grades on tests, when I was in high school. Perhaps you had similar prayers answered.

But, as we mature, our prayers become more complex. When we pray for our team to win a football game, or when we pray that we get that job we want, there are consequences. What if the other team is praying for a win? What if someone else is praying about that job?

Aren’t we actually praying for favoritism over someone else? James and John aren’t looking quite so selfish.

As we mature in our faith, our prayers are supposed to mature too. There is absolutely nothing wrong with bringing all of our concerns, heartaches, pain and troubles to God. That’s what we are supposed to do.

The problem arises when we expect Him to act as some type of cosmic genie and answer all of our requests in the way that we request and on our own timeline. When that doesn’t happen, we sometimes decide that God doesn’t answer prayers.

We forget that sometimes the answer is, “No.”

What we need to strive for is the, “Thy will be done;” part. For example, if we are looking for a new job, we can ask for guidance and for God to show us where we should look, instead of, “Please give me this specific job now.”

What if He has a different plan for you? A large part of faith is learning to trust in His plan and not ours. It’s tricky because we believe we know what’s best for us. We can pray for patience and perseverance too. Now we’re talking about fruit of the Spirit.

The James and John exchange with Jesus, has made me take a look at my prayers. I’m reminded to focus less on my wants and will, and more on God’s. Sometimes I need reminding. Maybe you do too.

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂