Live Wisely – Pray About Everything (Quest for God’s Will, part 3/4)
As we learn to live in God’s will it is important to learn to let go of our worries and let God transform our lives as he pleases. That might sound scary but it really works. We can either worry or pray. There is not room for both of them in a Christian. This is easier said than done but praying without ceasing is one of the most important survival skills for Christians. If you have a lot on your plate that more you need to pray. Prayer is the only way to find peace in the middle of stressful situation. I highly recommend it!
Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life. Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. (Phil.4:6-9, MSG)
Our lives in God’s will need to be supported by the various Christian disciplines. Prayer is the key into conversing with God. But we also need to learn to listen to God. One way that God can speak to us is through Bible-reading but let’s not forget fellowship of Christians and worship either. The purpose of all these disciplines is not to just do things but to learn through faithful, on-going conversation with God to live in God’s will. There is no shortcut to learn to live in God’s grace. But when we yearn to surrender to God in everything God will certainly guide us. What it means each and every time is ours to figure out. God speaks to us in so many ways. We need to keep our eyes open and pray about everything. God will show us his will when we are eager to find it out. When we live wisely, rooted in God’s word we are truly living in God’s will. But even then we don’t all the time know what is God’s will and we just need to keep on praying, searching and acting in faith. Don’t get discouraged, Thomas Merton was a faithful man of God and still he wrote in his book Thoughts on Solitudethis way:
Gracious God,
Thank you that You guide us
even when we don’t see it.
Thank you that you change our worries
to grace and peace.
Teach us to recognize your will and
readily to respond to it.
Root us deeply in you.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Q4U: When have you experienced God’s guidance? How have you recognized what is God’s will in your life?
Be blessed as you discover God’s will in your life!
2 thoughts on “Live Wisely – Pray About Everything (Quest for God’s Will, part 3/4)”
Thanks for the encouragement…prayer is so more than asking God for stuff. It's a relational partnership with Him.
Peace,
Jay
Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays. ~ Søren Kierkegaard
"It's a relational partnership".Amen to that! Thanks, Jay, for your enthusiastic comment! Peace and GOD's blessins to you!