"Not My Will, But Thine, Be Done"

At some time or the other we have all heard it. To pray effectively is to pray in the will of God. If we regard God as our Source of the good and necessary things in life, as well as we should, James tells us there are two reasons we do not have the things we need: "Ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts" (James 4:2b-3, KJV). Bible Expositor John Gill states that to ask amiss is to ask "not in the faith of a divine promise; nor with thankfulness for past mercies; nor with submission to the will of God; nor with a right end, to do good to others, and to make use of what might be bestowed, for the honour of God, and the interest of Christ." To that end some of us end our prayers with the words of Jesus, "Not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42b). But just exactly does that mean?

The life of Jesus while He was on earth was a pattern of wanting to do only what God wanted done. To His disciples He affirmed, "My meat [purpose] is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work" (John 4:32). In other words, His sole purpose was to do the will of God (see also Hebrews 10:5-10), and everything about Him and His life lined up with that purpose. Even when facing death by what was then the most cruel of methods, crucifixion, He yielded Himself to the will of the Father. Fast forward over two thousand years later and there you are in prayer. You have a laundry list of petitions of things you really need. Do you trust your own judgement or do you trust God that what He wants for you transcends anything that you could ask or imagine for yourself (Ephesians 3:20)? It is not easy to yield our will to that of the Father; just ask Jesus. His Gethsename struggle was of such that "there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:43-44). Yet for those who desire to be in the nucleus of God's will, is there really any other way to pray? The flesh that seeks to satisfy itself is constantly at war with the Spirit that strives to do the will of God (Galatians 5:17).

Some of God's finest statesmen of our times have said much on the issue of praying in the will of God. Pastor and author A.W.Tozer puts it this way, "To pray effectively we must want what God wants-that and that only is to pray in the will of God." Gonville ffrench-Beytagh, late Anglican dean of Johannesburg, reminds us, "You are not drawn to God primarily for your own benefit but for His." Evangelist R.A.Torrey states, "The chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer." And here we are thinking it is primarily about us and our needs.

"Not my will, but thine, be done." Seven important words we need to bear in mind the next time we come to our Lord in prayer. While He can work all things for our good, it is never is about us; it must always be about Him, His will done His way in our lives.

My One and Only

Ask anyone who is really in love and they will tell you that the most terrible feeling in the world, or so it seems, is being away from the one they love. Taken to the extreme, lovers always want to be in each other's company and if they are apart, constantly being in touch with each other becomes a priority. Of course, technology has made it possible to reduce distance. Webcams and the internet allow us to see and interact with loved ones regardless of where they are. Instant and text messaging services allow for easy communication. Most of us use them all to maintain our communication and intimacy with those we love. These loved ones are special and in some cases, we think of them as "all we have."

These thoughts came to mind as I reflected on the words of Asaph, the Psalmist: "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee" (Psalm 73:25). While his context is one of severe trial from the infirmities of his own heart, his words nevertheless echoes an awareness that nothing in this world brings as great a satisfaction as being secure in one's most personal and intimate of relationships – the one with God. To the person who loves God supremely, nothing in this world with all its pomp and splendour can truly satisfy. Like the lover who longs for the object of his or her affection, all other relationships pale in significance. So it is in the natural, so it should be in the spiritual. The committed believer is moved with the realization that no one else in heaven or on earth is as precious as our heavenly Father. In other words, among all of heaven and earth, and even if there were other life forms in any of the far reaches of the vast universe, He alone is our true "one and only."
The love of the committed lover for his or her beloved influences their behaviour towards others. Faithfulness abounds in the heart of such a one. The value placed on the relationship is of such that we guard our hearts and minds from resting on another. We are careful in our interactions with others and conduct ourselves accordingly. We should bring this same mindset to our relationship with God through Christ Jesus – one of trust and fidelity. We dare not forsake the fountain of living waters for broken cisterns (Jeremiah 2:13). After all, He is one of a kind; there is no one in heaven or on earth who is like Him and He is not worth giving up for anyone or anything.

Sometimes the enemy would have us believe that in devoting ourselves to the One we love, we are “missing out” on the fun things in life. However, this is definitely not the case for as another Psalmist reminds us: "Delight yourself also in the LORD; and He shall give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). Everything we need to satisfy us can be found in the Object of our affection, for in His presence is fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11). No matter how far we can stretch our imagination, nothing else begins to compare as favorably.

"Here am I; Send me"

Have you ever had one of those moments when you long to be used by God but feel you do not quite measure up? You love the Lord, you are passionate about taking the gospel to the unsaved, but every time you think of your past, you start to doubt yourself and your "qualification" to do what you feel the Lord has placed in your heart. Maybe unresolved guilt from past actions has left you thinking, "There is no way that God could use someone like me." And so you slink off into the shadows, yielding your ground and spiritual mission as you wait for someone you believe to be more "qualified" to do what God had ordained for you to do.

First of all, did it ever occur to you that nothing about you surprised or surprises God? When He called you, He knew who you were. Even now, He knows you far more intimately than you could ever know yourself. He knew your past and everything wrapped in it, but He still called you. You may have done unspeakable acts, but that did not stop Him from opening His arms wide and embracing you as you yielded to His wooing. In other words, He pursued you and called you - warts and all.

The Scriptures provide many examples of people we would deem unqualified. In no particular order, Abraham was too old. Noah was a drunk. Isaac was a daydreamer. Jacob was a liar. Leah was ugly. Joseph was abused. Moses stuttered. Samson had long hair and was a womanizer. Rahab was a prostitute. David had an affair and was a murderer. Elijah was suicidal. Naomi was a widow. Isaiah walked about naked while preaching (we would say he had mental issues). Jeremiah and Timothy were too young. Peter denied Christ. And there are many others we could name. Take a stroll through the Bible's Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11) and some of these people are listed there! Despite their shortcomings and failures, God used them all.

We are not asked to clean up ourselves before the Lord can use us. We come to Him, just as we are, and allow Him to work out His purposes in our lives. Where we see failures, God sees successes; where we see obstacles, He sees opportunities. Why should God use imperfect people? Because it is through the imperfections of our lives that His light shines through to the rest of the world. When Paul asked the Lord on three occasions to remove his imperfection, the "thorn in the flesh," Paul writes, "And He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9, KJV).

We do not have to worry that we are not qualified. God qualifies those whom He calls. Our responsibility is to simply answer "Yes, Lord," and like Isaiah and the others, make ourselves available for whatever He has commissioned us to do. "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me" (Isaiah 6:8). Warts and all. Will you say the same thing?

The Unexamined Life - Part II

Renowned psychologist Albert Bandura states, "What people think, believe, and feel affects how they behave." In other words, our behaviours are the result of our thoughts. With great insight, someone summed up the interaction between our thoughts and our actions with the words: "Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits, Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” Reread those five sentences - slowly. Thoughts become words; words become actions; actions become habits; habits become character; and character becomes destiny.

When Bandura made his statement, he was not revealing to the world something new. He was echoing a truth the Bible made clear centuries before. Thoughts contrary to the Word make mischief in one's heart and because it is from the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks, our actions, spurred on by our beliefs and feelings, are tied to our thoughts. Careless words born out of wrong thoughts not taken captive to the obedience of Christ lead to mistakes and bad behaviours.

Recognizing the power of one's thought life in its impacts on actions and destinies, the Psalmist David was on to something when he prayed, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer" (Psalm 19:14). Everything starts at the root. To correct a behaviour without first changing the way we think about that particular issue is an exercise in futility. However, as difficult as it may be to wrestle ingrained thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, we have the Holy Spirit to help us in that regard, if we allow Him to.

That is why the unexamined life is a dangerous life. It is not enough to just live and act without understanding what drives our behaviours and whether or not those behaviours are consistent with the Word of God. Paul's advice was solid; "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8). Everything starts with a thought; that thought eventually shapes our destiny. To that end, it is imperative that we examine our lives to determine if we need to change the way we think.

Again, "If you had friends who spoke like your thoughts, would you hang out with them?"

The Unexamined Life - Part I

If you could step outside of your body and listen to and watch yourself, i.e. observe your actions and listen to your words, for thirty days, what conclusion would you come to? How would you rate yourself as a Christ follower, a Christian? I got around to thinking about this as I pondered the signature thought a friend uses on her emails. That line, author unknown, reads, "If you had friends who spoke like your thoughts, would you hang out with them?"

Not surprisingly, some of what we think privately about ourselves, others, some situations, and even about God, we would never say publicly. For some of us, the very nature of some of those thoughts is enough to provoke guilt as our conscience reminds us that we should not be thinking that way. Yet our thought life seems to be one of the most difficult to control. In the quietness of our own thoughts, we cycle through feelings of doubt, fear, judgmental attitudes, negativity, condemnation, rebellion, to name a few. For sure, mentally we sometimes quote Scriptures, we sing songs, and we meditate on the Word. However, it is all well and good to do all these things – but to actively apply them is where the rubber meets the road. Like a thief in the night, the dark thoughts loom largely in the background of our minds just waiting to steal our joy and peace.

It is no wonder the apostle Paul reminded the believers in Corinth, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5, KJV). In other words, every thought that is not wholesome, or is proud, or not in line with God’s word and purposes, or negative thinking, we need to “lead away captive into the obedience of Christ." This requires a transformation of our minds that comes only through consistently realigning our thoughts and thinking with the Word of God. We cannot do that by ourselves. It is only as we yield ourselves to being led by the Spirit that He will show us the way and provide the help we need.

How is your thought life? "If you had friends who spoke like your thoughts, would you hang out with them?"