God's Will or Yours?

"Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."

Matthew 6:10 KJV

In my post Suit Up, I talked a little about prayer and how it’s an important aspect of your relationship with Jesus and a way for you to communicate with Him. If you haven’t read that post yet, click here to take a look. 

When people think about prayer, most often the first thing that comes to mind is praying for hardships, struggles, and healing along with other difficult things in life. Those are the times we feel the pressures of life and need help, peace, or comfort the most. It's also when we need something greater than anything this world has to offer. Prayer is how we partner with God during those times. 

When He created this world, He gave us the dignity of choice and causation. He doesn’t control our choices. We aren’t some Sims avatar with someone controlling our every move or decision. We’re allowed to decide what we are going to do. Which also means sometimes things that happen are due to our own choices. For example, if you choose to touch a flame, you’ll get burned. Free will does not mean free from repercussions. God never promised us a life without hurt or hardships. In fact He actually told us the opposite.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."

John 16:33 ESV

God wants us to choose Him. In Him we will find the peace and comfort we need, as well as the strength to make it through. He wants us to be active participants in His plan. That’s where prayer comes in. Prayer is how we can actively engage with God and help His plan unfold the way He has intended it to. God doesn’t need our prayers in order to do anything. He wants us to pray. If you’ve ever been in a relationship, the relationships you have simply because you want them tend to be filled with the most love and can even feel the easiest; even when they're work. While relationships out of obligation usually are filled with resentment and oftentimes may feel like daunting work; even if it's just to hang out. God’s hope is that we would want to have a relationship and partnership with Him because He genuinely loves us. 

Have you ever taken the time to think about what you're praying for or why you are praying for it? Most times while we're praying, we're probably praying for good things. We want healing for our body or someone else's. We want blessings for us or someone we know. Maybe it's peace, comfort, or love. Those are all good things to pray for. God is fully capable of answering any of them. It is in our nature to seek comfortable things in life. No one wants to be uncomfortable or to go through painful or uncomfortable situations. Have you ever stopped to think that those hard times are the times Jesus is using to refine you or to elevate you?

Before I go on, I want to disclose that God does not cause hurt or suffering. Again, we are humans who have the dignity of choice and causation. Many things that happen in our lives are a part of a ripple effect from choices we've made in the past. Maybe your lifestyle choice has been to eat unhealthy with minimal physical activity. It's only natural that weight or health problems would occur. Maybe you made a decision without praying on it and didn't think through it and now you're stuck in a hard place. I also want to say it's not your fault if you experienced any sort of abuse. Those were actions of other people that you had no control over. You did not deserve that and I'm sorry you had to go through and experience those things. The good news is, we serve an awesome God who can take all of the hard things and turn them into something beautiful. What the enemy intended as destruction, God uses it to build.

Sometimes we're so concerned with avoiding the discomfort that we don't stop to ask how this works into the bigger picture. That's when we get to really partner with God. Throughout the bible there are different passages that talk about prayer. Here are a few I want to focus on right now:

"praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,"

Ephesians 6:18 ESV

" Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 ESV

In both of these passages it talks about praying in the Spirit and not quenching the Spirit. They are referring to the Holy Spirit. To pray in the Spirit is to pray in partnership with God and to be praying for the will of God to come through. To quench the Spirit is to extinguish it or go against God's will. You might be thinking, "That's crazy. Who would pray against the will of God?" Honestly, I can almost guarantee we all have at some point without even realizing it. Even Peter, as a disciple of Jesus, who knew Him and walked with Him spoke out against God's will out of concern and compassion for Jesus.

"From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Matthew 16:21-23 ESV

Peter absolutely meant well and didn't mean to go against God's will. He cared about Jesus and certainly did not want Him to suffer or die. It's human nature. It's our compassion. Jesus knew He needed to die. He also didn't want to feel the pain or agony in His humanity. He asked God to take the suffering from Him when He went to the Garden of Gethsemane, but ultimately submitted to God's will.

"And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."

Matthew 26:39 ESV

As difficult as the crucifixion was, it was necessary in order for us to get to heaven. God loves us so much that He paid the ultimate price, so we could one day be next to Him in Heaven. If He can make the pain and agony of His Son's death into a beautiful covenant with us, He can make any of our hardships into a glorious masterpiece.

We may not understand God's will or why we went through or are going through the hard things. It's not our job to understand. Our place in partnering with God is to ask Him how those hardships can glorify Him and work into the bigger picture. Just a few examples:

• Unhealthy living = Maybe you become knowledgeable on a specific aspect and are able to also educate or inspire others on your journey.

• Abuse of any kind = Maybe you become an advocate for others who are going through something similar or maybe you become a light and inspiration to someone who is where you once were.

• Sickness or physical limitations = Maybe God wants to use this opportunity to show you that you can trust Him to provide in all aspects of your life.

These are just a few examples that came to mind. I shared them in hopes to inspire you to take a look at your life right now. Take a moment to think about the areas in your life that aren't easy. Maybe it's something from your past that has affected you. Maybe it's something going on currently. My challenge for you:

1. Spend some time with Jesus

2. Bring those things that came to mind to Him

3. Ask Him to allow them to glorify His name.

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Whether it's to encourage us or to grow us. Everything serves a purpose in the grand scheme of life. 

A little personal testimony from me:

I'm not going to say I've had a rough life. There are aspects of my life that were hard and some that were definitely traumatic. Things I wouldn't want anyone else to experience or go through. Despite all of the trials and tribulations throughout my life, I have a life that I love. I have a beautiful son who I couldn't imagine my life without. A man in my life who loves me in spite of my flaws and supports me unconditionally. The Lord has blessed me with a vision to breathe life into people and has provided a business that allows me to do just that. He's also blessed me with the gift of words to be able to create this blog and breathe life to those I may not ever get to personally meet. Knowing where I am today, I can say without a doubt, I would go through all of "the stuff" again if it meant this is what was waiting for me. God is so good. He will make all paths straight. 

You, my dear friend, are no exception. He loves YOU and has a plan for your future full of hope.

God Bless!