How should we pray?

Luke 22:39–46 - "Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. 40 On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” 41 He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” 43 An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44 And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. 45 When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.”

How should we pray?

When faced with difficult circumstances and the way forward looks very difficult and even painful.  When we have the choice of accepting the situation or running away and hiding. The advice we always receive is to pray about it. Then we are often told that God will change the circumstances for us if we have enough faith. So, we go and pray, pleading with the Father to remove the difficulties from our path. We are earnest in our prayers and firmly believe that He can change the circumstances, and He can, but He doesn’t. We may even be told that we don’t have enough faith, but this just adds to our misery.

We find in this passage the road to peace in all our difficulties. It is a road that is not natural or easy for us. Jesus sweated blood for something like three hours to find it, Paul pleaded on three occasions before he found it (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). It is the path of prayer that Jesus taught his disciples and is in fact the only way to live at peace in this troubled world.

This is how you should pray: “…Thy will be done…” (Matt 6:10). 

Understanding that the Father knows what we really need (Matt 5:8) and He will not be slow in giving it to us (Luke 11:12). It is the prayer of complete surrender of our lives, our hearts and our wills to the Father’s purpose. A purpose that we cannot see at the time. It is only in that surrender that we can receive the comfort and strength of the Holy Spirit. And then we can go forward knowing that God is in command and working His purpose through all the tragedies of life. At peace while all the world around us is falling apart.

As you continue the story of Jesus’ journey to the cross you find He is the only peaceful figure in the scenario. The light in the darkness, the stillness in the chaos, the One who has already won the victory.

I trust that as you pray this most powerful and simple prayer, “Thy will be done” you will find God’s strength and peace in your life through this troubled world.

Our devotion this morning has come from the pen of Hugh Till - many thanks for your insights Hugh. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Time and chance

What do you make of these words from Ecclesiastes? Is Solomon suggesting that it is just a matter of 'fate' when things happen to us or can we believe that God is still in control of how things turn out?

"I have seen something else under the sun:

The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,
nor does food come to the wise
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance happen to them all." - Ecclesiastes 9:11

I would agree with the following:

Anyone can run the race of life...

Anyone can fight in this battle...

You don't have to have academic degrees to put food on the table...

It is not only pupils in the A class who make lots of money...

People with little education have won public office and positions of leadership...

BUT, I am not sure of the word 'chance' - The Living Bible says it like this:

"but it is all by chance, by happening to be at the right place at the right time."

Of course, TIME catches up with all of us, but I would feel comfortable using the word 'God's will' instead of Chance. It just makes me feel that God is more in control of things, compared to Chance.

What do you feel? 

"Thy fate is the common fate of all; Into each life some rain must fall." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Living in Grace

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Renew my will

The simplest prayers are often the best. When Charlotte Elliot wrote these lines for her prayer, little did she know that they would carry so much challenge and depth to them.

"Renew my will from day to day,
Blend it with Thine, and take away
All that now makes it hard to say,
Thy will be done."

We say the words of the Lord's prayer so often that we can easily forget the meaning of the words:
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done!"

Mark 3:35 - "The person who obeys God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.”

Living in Grace
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I Will

In a week where South African and English rugby fans wonder "Will our team win on Saturday?" it is good to know that God has promised some amazing things for his people. When you read these words you will note that there is nothing 'iffy' about God's promises. God says "I will" and that is good enough for me.

⁶ “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. ⁷ I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ⁸ And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”

In a time of uncertainty may you hold onto the sure promises of Jesus.

Living in Grace
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Unfurl the sails

"Unfurl the sails, and let God steer us where He will." - Bede

If we trust in the goodness of God's plan for our lives then we will be more willing to let the sails down and to trust the move of his Spirit. If we question God's intentions and desire for our lives, then we will hold onto the sails for dear life and make sure that they never catch the wind. It takes a degree of faith to remain on the shore, but it takes great FAITH to unfurl the sails and believe that God will go with you always.

Psalm 25:1 - "In you, Lord my God, I put my trust."

Living in Grace
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Two great requests

C.F.D. Moule – “Prayer makes two great requests. It asks for the discernment of God’s will and then for the power to perform that will.”

We should be very wary of praying for God to show us his will, unless we are willing to actually do what he requires of us. I know that even though the task may be tough, God will give us the strength to perform his will. When we have to rely on God's strength it reminds us that we partners with God and that indeed, we are not God!

2 Chronicles 16:9 - For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.

Living in Grace

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Why do you pray?

Why do you pray?
If the answer to this deep question is "only to receive things from God", then we are missing the point in prayer. Yes, the Bible does invite us to bring our requests to God in prayer, but there is another reason why we should be praying. And this is it...

"We pray not in order to escape life, but in order to be better able to meet it." - William Barclay

For me, this means that when I pray for things, prayer
changes me in some way. My requests are ultimately left in the hands of God, but by spending the time and energy praying, I am bringing my will in line with the WILL of God. I am not sure if you agree with this or not, but it is worth reflecting on.

1 Kings 8:28 - Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.

Living in Grace
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You may not get what you ask for!

Prayer is a complex thing. We ask God for things, believing that these 'things' are best for us, but we can never fully appreciate life from the vantage point that God has. So, sometimes we have to process our disappointment and trust that God has a better plan.

I came across this lovely quote when I was preparing for Sunday's message. It speaks about how God answers our prayers, but not in the way we expect. I would love to know your thoughts on this. Drop me a line when you can.

I asked for strength that I might achieve; he made me weak that I might obey.

I asked for health that I might do great things: he gave grace that I might do better things.

I asked for riches that I might be happy; he did not give them so that I might be wise.

I asked for power that I might have the praise of men; I was given weakness that I might feel a need of God.

I asked for all things that I might enjoy life; I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I received very few of the things I asked for; but I received the things I had hoped for.” - Haddon Robinson.

Matthew 7:9-11 - “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

As we edge closer to Easter, remember that even Jesus needed to surrender to the plans of his Father - it was not Jesus' will to suffer, but he trusted in the wisdom of his Father.

 

Living in Grace
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Read the signs!

The local municipality have finally built a speed bump on the main road outside our Church entrance. It is about time as people use this road as a race track most days. I think we have been asking the authorities for this "hump" for around 9 years now - better late than never I suppose.

What has been fascinating to note is that the white lines haven't been painted on the bump as yet (they are waiting for the tar to set first) and so people are hitting the bump at their usual speed! Needless to say there have been lots of surprised drivers heading along Cleland road and I am sure there has been a fair amount of cursing too!

But here is the thing. There are clearly marked SIGNS on either side of the bumps, warning people of the new bumps. In fact, the SIGNS were put up over a week ago, preparing people for this new change, but people have ignored the signs. It is only as they have hit the speed bumps at some speed, that they take note of the signs.

People are people. We are all the same...the signs are there for our protection and to help us out, but when we choose to ignore them, we land up with whiplash!

So, what signs are you ignoring today?
What is happening in your spiritual life that is acting as a warning sign?
What is happening in your family that is shouting "Take Note" or what signs are you seeing at work or at school?

Please can I urge us all to take note of the signs that God places before us. They are not signs to be a "kill joy" but rather to protect us and prosper us. As we near Holy Week, Jesus fulfilled many of the signs of the prophets, but the people chose to ignore the signs.

John 12:27 - "But despite all the miraculous signs Jesus had done, most of the people still did not believe in him."

Let's not do the same.

Living in Grace
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Is your prayer something like this?

The story is told of a wise, old Middle-Eastern mystic who said this about himself:  
‘I was a revolutionary when I was young, and all my prayer to God was: “Lord, give me the energy to change the world.”

“‘As I approached middle age and realized that my life was half gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to: 
 “Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come into contact with me. Just my family and friends and I shall be satisfied.”

“‘Now that I am an old man and my days are numbered, I have begun to see how foolish I have been.  My one prayer now is: 

“Lord, give me the grace to change myself.”  If I had prayed this right from the start, I would not have wasted my life.’” – Paul Wharton

So what are you praying for today?

We should always know that we can ask God for anything - he delights in hearing our prayers and he promises to respond in his perfect way. However, I am challenged that often I need to pray for my own short-comings and for my will to be aligned with God's will, and not the other way around.

"Let Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

NOT

"Let My will be done!"

Living in Grace
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Calling...

What's your calling?

Is it to help others or to serve people in your profession? 
Is it perhaps to use your gifts to bless others or to help the needy?
Do you see your calling to be the best you can be, no matter who or what stands in your way?
Do you think that your calling is still unfolding for you at this moment?
Could you calling be to love your family in the best way possible?

I strongly feel that each one of us has a calling and that we need to be fulfilling that calling in order to sense that we are in the will of God. Otherwise we will keep feeling frustrated and empty.

Oswald Chambers wrote these words on what he felt was a calling:
"Our calling is not primarily to be holy men and women, but to be proclaimers of the Gospel of God."

This calling would then include all of us. If we aimed to proclaim the Gospel of  God (which is about being redeemed by a loving Saviour) then we would want to move towards the Holiness of God.

"A calling is something you feel - you look out and see the need - maybe it's the need for the poor, to help poor people. Maybe it's the need to get involved in the race problem, as Martin Luther King was - he felt called." - Billy Graham

So, let me ask you again - what is your calling? Are you living it out in your life now?

Living in Grace
D3LM3