Today’s
scripture:
“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me;
nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will. ” (Matthew 26:39b)
When we pray for God’s will to be
known to us there is usually some kind of underline idea what God’s will will
look like. What I mean by that is, when we pray for God to have His way, we
have this idea in the back of our mind that it will fit into a box that we have
already created on our own. For instance, if you have gone to college and got a
masters degree in science and you pray for God to have His will in your life to
give you whatever job He wants to give you in the science field. Or let’s say
you feel the need to move to a different location to live but you have in mind
what climate you want to live in and you pray for God’s will to be known to you
about finding a house in that desired climate. Or maybe you already run your
own business to which you know that God has set up for you. But now you have a
few setbacks to the point of needing a financial miracle to continue on in that
business. So, you pray for God to have His way of however to relieve you of
this burden.
You see every one of those situations
we pray as it has to be about us….. Lord, I don’t know what job you have for me
but you know that I have worked hard in my classes and you know how much I like
science, so please Lord, I really want this job at NASA but what ever job you
have for me, I will accept as long as it comes from you….. Lord, you know how
much I hate the cold rainy weather, so whatever house you have form me in
southern California is what I will be happy with even if it’s a humble home…..
Lord, I know you have called me into the trucking business and I have been
trying to be a good servant with the business you have entrusted to me, but now
I’m faced with this $10,000 truck repair. Please Lord have your way on how to pay
for this so I can keep driving this truck.
What if God wants you to be a farmer
instead and to use your knowledge about science to reach people with the gospel
from a scientific standpoint? What if God chooses you to stay right where you
are instead of California to use you to help the homeless in New York City or
Chicago where the winters can be very harsh on people with no shelter? What if
God had you in the trucking industry to teach you certain things like patience,
or how precious family time is? But now He wants to build your faith in Him
that whatever He chooses to do, its going to be about glorify Him and bringing
mercy to others and that its not about you at all.
You see, When Jesus was praying to
the Father in the garden, He was in agony of what the Fathers will was going to
do to Him but He knew that it wasn’t about Him at all. He was willing to
sacrifice His own comfort for the sake of purifying you so that you could be
set free from sin and hell and be with God forever. He didn’t give the Father a
box to put His will into. He didn’t have a pre-established condition that would
guarantee His comfort or His wishes. He simply kept His hands wide open leaving
it totally up to His Lord whatever that may be.
See, even though God cares about you and will never leave you, He has a bigger purpose for His will than just our feelings or comfort, in fact that probably isn’t even considered. What is considered is how we can bring Him the most glory and how we can reach others with His word and with mercy.
Reflection:
When
we can stop trying to fit God’s will into our pre-designed boxes and just let
His will be His will, whatever that may be, we will be able to live a much more
joyful life because we will be living up to or full potential and doing what we
were designed for and that is to glorify and worship God and to give love to
others. Remember, it’s not about you.
Challenge:
Take
a moment and think of your current situation and try to take yourself out of
the equation completely. Does His will still line up to where you are at in
life? Does it involve giving to others and leading them to Jesus? And are you
giving Him all the glory?
-Doug McGowan
