Girlfriends in God - Apr. 2, 2007

April 2, 2007

The Purpose of Prayer

Today’s Truth

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10 NIV).

Friend to Friend

Prayer is not meant to change God’s mind, but to change us and align our thinking with God’s. When we begin our prayer with praise, we take the focus off of ourselves and put it on God. When we pray for God’s will to be done, we take the focus off our desires and put it on God’s desires for our lives.

Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” For those who recite what we’ve come to know as the Lord’s Prayer on a regular basis, it is very important that we never take those words for granted or treat them like a doxology to a commonplace prayer. It is the cornerstone, the focus, and the ultimate purpose of prayer. Jesus, Himself, prayed for God’s will to be done. In the Garden of Gethsemane, just before his arrest, Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me.” His prayer was so intense, capillaries burst and droplets of blood trickled down his forehead. And yet, as much as He would have welcomed redemption in a way other than the cross, Jesus prayed, “yet, not my will but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

I am so thankful that God has not answered each of my requests with a “yes.” My life would be much different than it is today – and I don’t mean for the better. How thankful I am for my Heavenly Father Who knows what’s best for me! He has plans that are “above and beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20) and in order to hear God speak through prayer, we must allow ourselves to think beyond our limited knowledge, to see beyond our limited vision, and to believe beyond our limited understanding.

Prayer turns our focus toward God and allows Him to rearrange our priorities. It is more than unloading our burdens and enumerating our desires. Prayer sets our agenda. Did you ever notice that Jesus didn’t set His agenda and then ask God to bless it? No, He did only what the Father told Him to do. He “had to go” to Samaria, to the next town, and to Zaccheus’ home for dinner. He also had to delay his journey to see his ailing friend, Lazarus until he had been dead for three days.

Prayer is more than telling God what we want. It is asking God what He wants and then following His lead.

Let’s Pray

Dear Lord, I don’t know what is best for me, but I know You do. Thank you that you don’t give me everything that I want, but You do give me everything I need. Lord, when my desires and expectations do not line up with Your plans for my life, give me the wisdom and the strength to recognize the difference and walk according to the path that You have chosen for me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now it’s your turn

Today, many cars come with GPS navigational systems (Global Positioning System) .How would your day look if God was you GPS navigational system.

How are prayer and Bible study like a GPS for life?

Explain how ignoring a GPS in a car and ignoring God’s directions in the Bible might have similar results.

*All Scripture references are taken from the NIV unless otherwise noted.

More from the girls

For more on today’s topic see Becoming a Woman who Listens to God by Sharon Jaynes