The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Prayer - Faith and Humility"
"Our Heavenly Father loves to give and to answer our prayers (Luke 12:32). He will not, however, respond to our requests for that which would hinder His purpose in our lives, and in the world as we affect it."
Prayer far more involves the accomplishment of God's will than our own.
"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us, and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him" (I John 5:14-15).
This being said, it remains true that our desires play a role in prayer.
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them" (Mark 11:24).
The two affirmations of Scripture we consider unite to lead us in seeking to pray according to the will of God, and in accordance with our desires for His answers. On the surface, this seems fairly straightforward and easy to be implemented. However, because conflicting desires presently exist within believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must be careful to pray in the realization that we can "ask and receive not because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (James 4:3).
"The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other" (Galatians 5:17).
The desires of our flesh inherited from Adam often do not coincide with the Holy Spirit's working in our spirits "to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). Thus, we ever pray in the realization of being subject to desires that may seem appropriate and in accordance with God's will, but which actually are not. This does not mean we do not pray with confidence as we sincerely ask our Heavenly Father for His involvement and working in our lives. He loves to give and to answer our prayers (Luke 12:32). He will not, however, respond to our requests for that which would hinder His purpose in our lives, and in the world as we affect it. We therefore pray as did the Lord Jesus in the hour of His severest temptation, "Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from Me. Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine be done" (Luke 22:42).
Knowing that our Lord prayed accordingly certainly goes far in leading us to do the same. True prayer, as the Savior exemplified, involves both confident faith and honest humility. We make our requests to the God who "loveth a cheerful giver" because He is Himself the most cheerful of givers (II Corinthians 9:7). We do so, however, in full and humble recognition of how easily we can be misled by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Prayer rides upon the dual rails of faith and humility in our present existence. As we make our journey of communion with God in this vital understanding, we will gratefully see far more answers, and also be gratefully glad when our Father does not respond to misdirected requests.
"Now we know that God heareth not sinners, but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth His will, him He heareth."
(John 9:31).
Weekly Memory Verse
Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)
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