Prayer of asking according to God’s will
1 John 5:14~15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him. Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #543 Simply Trusting Every Day (#342 in previous version) Prayer is not something difficult at all and yet many times we find it difficult. Prayer is the time to enjoy the status and authority of being a child of God. It is the time of greatest happiness during which we concentrate on God alone and offer up ourselves. It is the time to enjoy the kingdom of God on this earth and the works of the Holy Spirit in our life. What kind of prayer must we pray in order to ask according to God’s will, which we find difficult?
1. Seek the will of heaven (Matthew 6:9~13)
We do not get the right answer if we do not pray correctly. When we pray seeking God’s will, we will pray the incorrect prayer if unnecessary worries or fleshly thoughts preoccupy our mind. If we continually pray filled with worldly thoughts and incorrect motives, it may bring about regrettable results. It is important to seek not our will but the will of heaven and to pray so that we see people or problems from the perspective of God’s will.
2. Pray so that whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 18:18~20)
The forces of darkness fear the most when children of God pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Believers of Christ, however, do not fully enjoy the time of prayer but are given to temptations of Satan and are busy worrying about the problems of the flesh. Jesus said that whatever we loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. When we humbly lay down all our minds before God and pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our hearts will be changed to that which God desires.
3. Pray so that assurance comes into our thoughts, thanksgiving into our hearts, and evidence in our body. (Acts 1:8)
In order to surrender our egocentric thinking, we must examine how we understand the Gospel. If we have incorrect thoughts, our egocentric propensity, problems and conflicts will not be healed. Starting now, we must pray so that we may always have in our thoughts the assurance that we are children of God and in our hearts be thankful for the saving grace and in our body experience the works of the Holy Spirit.
- The forces of darkness frustrate our faith in God and hinder us in our Christian walk of faith. Let us begin praying so that the will of God is fully done in our lives. World Businessperson’s Evangelism Conference Camp Lecture 1 / 2012.05.14