DRAWING NEAR
March 5
Praying According to God's Will
"The word of the Lord [came] to Jeremiah the prophet for the
completion of the desolations of Jerusalem" (Dan. 9:2).
Effective prayer is always consistent with God's will.
It is characteristic of God's people to identify with God's purposes
and conform their will to His. Learning to pray according to His will
is a major step in that process because it drives you to the Word and
demonstrates a humble, submissive heart.
Jesus emphasized the priority of God's will when He said, "I have
come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who
sent Me" (John 6:58). He accomplished that goal, saying to the
Father, "I glorified Thee on the earth, having accomplished the work
which Thou hast given Me to do" (John 17:4). Even when facing the
horror of the cross, Jesus didn't waver. Instead He prayed, "Father,
if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but
Thine be done" (Luke 22:42).
Jesus taught His disciples the same priority, instructing them to
pray, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt.
6:9-10).
Daniel knew what it meant to pray according to God's will. After
reading the prophecy of a seventy-year Babylonian Captivity, he
immediately accepted it as God's will and began to pray for its
fulfillment. His prayer wasn't passive resignation to some act of
fate beyond his control. It was active participation in God's plan as
revealed in Scripture. He wasn't trying to change God's will but was
doing everything he could to see it come to pass. That's the essence
of praying according to God's will.
When you pray according to God's will, you can be confident that He
hears you and will grant your requests (1 John 5:14-15). Live in that
confidence today!
Suggestions for Prayer:
Be a diligent student of the Word so you will know God's will. Ask
God to reveal areas in which your will is not conformed to His. As He
does, take immediate steps to deal with them.
For Further Study:
Read Revelation 22:6-21, noting God's will for Christ's return, and
how we're to respond to it.
Drawing Near, Copyright c 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV)
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask
anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we
have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Revelation 22:6-21
6 Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And the
Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the
things which must shortly take place.
7 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of
the prophecy of this book."
8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw,
I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me
these things.
9 Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your
fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who
keep the words of this book. Worship God."
10 And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this
book, for the time is at hand.
11 "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let
him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still;
he who is holy, let him be holy still."
12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to
give to every one according to his work.
13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the
First and the Last."
14 Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the
right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the
city.
15 But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and
murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.
16 "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in
the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright
and Morning Star."
17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears
say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him
take the water of life freely.
18 For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of
this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the
plagues that are written in this book;
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from
the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming
quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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